Drag Me Over The Rainbow
by mango-melone
Summary: Sirius promised Harry a home. Problem is, he doesn't have one, so he convinces his friend Remus to let them live with him. But when the ministry catches wind of it, a certain pink-haired Auror comes to investigate... Set after PoA. AU: Voldemort was defeated after the first war.
1. An Unexpected Visitor

**Welcome to my new story!**

 **This is another light-hearted AU-fic. I actually started it almost a year ago, but never got around to posting it. It's about halfway done, so I thought there wouldn't be any harm in posting it along with my other story.  
**

 **This isn't in the same universe as The Letter, but similar in tone. It's pretty much canon up to right after PoA, with the exception that Voldemort never created any horcruxes, and was killed for good that Halloween night. The events of PS and CoS still took place, with Quirrel working on its own and the diary just being a "normal" possessed object left by Tom Riddle. (or whatever we thought it was before DH came out)**

 **This story will primarily be a RemusXTonks romance, but there's plenty of Harry and Sirius in it as well. I just had this picture of Remus and Sirius living at Hogwarts together as teacher and dog, and felt like it would funny to write about it.**

 **I hope you enjoy it :)**

* * *

 **An unexpected visitor**

A beam of sun light crept through the half drawn curtains in number four Privet Drive, tickling the sleeping teenager, and his eyes started to flicker. Harry Potter blinked slowly, and for a moment he wondered where his four poster bed had gone. Then he remembered that he wasn't in school, that it was summer and he had yet almost two months until he could return to Hogwarts.

With a groan he shut his eyes again, debating whether it would be possible to sleep through the entire months of July and August. Coming to the conclusion that it was not, and that judging by the noises from the kitchen going back to sleep now was futile anyway, he sat up, reaching for his glasses. Once they were firmly on his nose he grabbed the bottle of ink from his nightstand, still sitting in bed, and opened it. He dunked a quill in it and leaned over to draw another red cross on the calendar hung on his wall. _Four days_ , he thought glumly, staring at the pitiful collection of red crosses. He didn't even bother counting the days he still had left. Bloody holidays.

In all fairness, he thought as he made to grab a pair of baggy jeans off the floor, he shouldn't really complain. Compared with other summers he had lived through, this one was actually quite pleasant. For starters, he had all his school supplies with him, meaning he could actually do the homework they had been set over the summer (not that Harry had bothered with that so far, he wasn't quite _that_ bored yet) and amuse himself with some of the more interesting things he had brought with him from the wizarding world. The Dursleys were far too afraid of his murdering godfather to interact with him, and when it came to them, being ignored was really the best you could hope for.

But nice as it was not being locked up in a cupboard and treated with daily insults, it still didn't make for a very interesting summer. There were only so many times you could reread _Flying with the Cannons_ , and playing Exploding Snap by himself just wasn't very interesting. He had considered enlisting Hedwig, but she might not be too happy about singed feathers, and antagonizing his only friend in the Muggle world seemed like a bad idea. Not to mention that playing card games with your pet sounded closer to madness than he was comfortable with.

His gaze drifted over to the empty cage on his desk. The owl had been gone for two days now, delivering his pleas for food, and he hoped the long absence meant she would not return empty-handed. Or rather empty-clawed. Merlin, he really needed to see more people.

Upon arriving in the kitchen, he immediately changed his mind. If people meant Dursleys, becoming a hermit seemed very appealing. Dudley, still in denial about the fact he was well on track to developing his own field of gravity, was throwing yet another tantrum, and his screams and flying fists evoked the distinct impression of a pig being slaughtered in a not-too animal friendly manner.

Helped by quick Seeker reflexes and years of experience Harry expertly ducked a vicious blow aimed at the coffee pot and made his way over to his chair, pouring himself a cup of tea - without milk, as that had been banned from breakfast along with pretty much everything else that contained even the idea of fat - and ignored the Dursleys just as much as they ignored him.

As he absentmindedly lifted his feet to avoid getting splashed with hot coffee as Dudley's assaults finally found their aim and the pot went crashing to the floor, and wondered if he should just give up on the prospect of breakfast and return to his room. Maybe Hedwig had returned, and waiting for him would be heaps upon heaps of delicious goods made by Molly Weasley – hell, in his current state of hunger he'd even settle for one of Hagrid's rock cakes.

But he knew it would be unlikely given he had only been downstairs for ten minutes, and having his trousers drenched in coffee finally drew Uncle Vernon from behind his newspaper, yelling at his son to sit calmly or face his pocket money cut from now until his eighteenth birthday. The prospect of such horrors finally quieted Dudley's wailing, and he sat down, face still red and with a look so murderous it would make first years cry.

Harry had fight hard to keep a grin off his face, though his amusement fell somewhat when he was handed three grapes and a strawberry by aunt Petunia. _That's it._ , he thought as he tentatively put one grape into his mouth, chewing meticulously because he had heard somewhere that would make it last longer.

 _Forget Voldemort or dementors. I'm actually going to die of starvation._

While he was still cringing at the thought of Draco Malfoy's glee at his undignified demise, the doorbell rang. Uncle Vernon rose to his feet to answer it, and Harry paid no notion until he heard his uncle's voice raise . "Harry Potter? Why would you want to talk to him?"

Harry almost choked on his last grape in his haste to get to the door, and didn't even notice Dudley stealing his strawberry.

The man standing in the doorframe was so slim Harry could barely see him behind the enormous form of Vernon Dursley, but he was a good part taller, and his smiling face beamed at Harry over the muggle's shoulder.

Harry stared. "Pro-Professor Lupin?"

The wizard's smile grew broader. "Good morning, Harry."

Vernon turned around, his eyes dangerously narrow. "You know this person?" From the way he said it, it was very clear that he thought Lupin was some sort of homeless person. But Harry barely noticed it, for he was too busy staring at the large black dog that stood next to the former professor, panting happily and giving a short bark as he saw Harry.

"Si-" he broke off, catching himself in time and remembered that Uncle Vernon was still waiting for his answer, the enormous moustache trembling dangerously. "Err…yes, he's…he's a teacher at my school," Harry answered quickly. It wasn't strictly speaking true, but adding _until he was fired for being a werewolf_ would probably be ill-advised.

"A...teacher?", Uncle Vernon repeated slowly, and the disgust was joined by fear as he realized the homeless beggar on his doorstep was actually a wizard.

Obviously sensing that he should step in before things got out of hand, Lupin nodded. "Yes. I was hoping to talk to Harry about some course work for the next year," he said, the polite smile still on his lips.

Uncle Vernon's face turned an alarming shade of red and Harry was sure he would slam the door in Lupin's face before inviting him in, but the wizard quickly added. "Maybe we could go for a walk, Harry. I wouldn't want to intrude on your family. Only if that is alright with you of course, Mr Dursley. I assure you Harry will be safe with me, and I'll bring him back before lunchtime."

The look on Vernon's face made it clear that he couldn't care less about whether Harry was safe or not, but he still hesitated, obviously wary of the shabby man in front of him. In the end the urge to shout was overruled by the fear of causing a scene in front of the neighbours, and so he just made a non-committal grunt and shoved Harry towards the door, slamming it as soon as he was across the threshold.

Harry said nothing, still far too flabbergasted by the sudden appearance of his former teacher and his godfather. Lupin merely smiled at him. "I see Dursley is still as delightful as ever," he observed, setting off towards the street. Sirius barked, and before Harry knew it the dog had risen to his hindlegs, front paws on Harry's shoulder and grinned broadly. He laughed, returning the embrace clumsily.

" _Sirius_ ", Lupin hissed from a few steps down, "Get down and start behaving like a dog." Sirius' lolled his tongue at the werewolf and rolled his eyes in a very un-dog-like fashion, but he got back on all fours nevertheless, running a small circle around Harry and then setting off to inspect Aunt Petunia's diligently kept flowerbed. Harry couldn't help but grin, despite his confusion.

"What are you doing here?" he asked finally. Lupin, who was now dragging Sirius away from a shrubbery as the dog had started to raise a hind leg, looked around for a moment. "Long story," he answered finally, having succeeded in getting the struggling dog on the road, "and I'd rather not talk about it in the open. Would you care for some breakfast?"

Harry, who felt the three lonely grapes rolling about in his empty stomach, nodded. "But where-"

"We've got an old friend who lives here.", Lupin said, setting off in a brisk pace that left Harry struggling to keep up. "She agreed to lend us our kitchen so that Sirius can join the discussion. All of this was his idea, you know."

Harry said nothing, mind reeling. Lupin looked unchanged from when he had last seen him, robes still shabby and patched, hair still grey, but his expression was not full of of regret, but rather one of anxiousness, and…hope?

Sirius looked better than he had that night, his fur no longer tangled and dirty, but shining in the morning sun. The way in which he bounced across the pavement, tail wagging madly and barking ever so often made him look almost like an overexited puppy, despite his enormous size.

It took Harry a while to realize where they were going. "Mrs Figg?" he came to an abrupt halt as he recognized the driveway Lupin was walking up to, but the former teacher had already rang the doorbell. He turned around. "Yes, she did say you used to visit her. Like I said, she's an old friend; we can trust her. She knows about Sirius."

Before Harry could comprehend the words or even ask any further, the door opened an in front of him stood Mrs Figg, grey-haired and complete with hairnet and tartan carpet slippers. "Remus! I hope it went well?"

Lupin nodded. "Reasonably. Though for a moment I thought he was going to call the police." Mrs Figg frowned. "Yes, they really are dreadful. Well, get in then, quickly. Hello Harry, it's wonderful to see you!"

Harry simply stared, and it took a nudge from the big black dog to get him to move. "But- you…you're a witch?" he finally managed as he stood in the entry hall, door closing behind him.

"A squib," the old woman corrected him. "Dumbledore asked me to stay here so I could keep an eye on you. I'm sorry I never told you, Dumlbedore's orders."

"Stupid orders," a new voice behind Harry said. "Did you know that they're now actively starving him?"

Harry spun round, and found himself face to face with a tall, black-haired man. "Sirius!"

His godfather grinned, face still dreadfully pale but a lot healthier-looking than two weeks ago. "Hey, Harry. Ready to be saved from those muggles?"

"Saved?"

"Let's discuss that sitting down, shall we?" Lupin interrupted, and Mrs Figg nodded hastily. "Come on through, breakfast is on the table. Just keep an eye out for Mr Tibbles, he likes to steal bacon."

As Harry followed Lupin and Sirius into the kitchen he was greeted by the mouth-watering smell of bacon, fried eggs and toast, and decided to just accept whatever was happening for now and simply enjoy the unexpected feast.

Sirius seemed to share his enthusiasm. "Sausages," he sighed, chewing with a contented look on his face. "I have missed you." He swallowed, and leaned over to Harry. "Moony refuses to cook them," he whispered conspiratorially.

Lupin merely raised an eyebrow, and murmured something that sounded like "You're a grown man, cook your own breakfast."

Harry blinked, curiosity finally winning over hunger. "So…so you live with Professor Lupin now?"

Sirius nodded. "I was going to leave the country, but it seemed unnecessary. Those ministry morons didn't manage to catch me breaking into Hogwarts when it was swarming with dementors, so I figured I was pretty safe here. And I _did_ promise you a home, I believe."

Harrys jaw dropped, and for a moment he sat motionless. When a half chewed tomato threatened to fall onto his plate he hastily closed it, barely swallowing before asking: "A home? You mean…you mean away from the Dursleys?"

Sirius snorted. "Well I'm certainly not gonna move in with _them_ , so…"

"But...but you're…" _on the run._

Lupin cleared his throat. "Sirius is not in a position to officially offer you a home, no.", he said slowly. "Which is why I am here. As he mentioned, he is currently living in my house – or my parents' house, really; I never lived there after they died – which means officially you would be living with me."

Harry looked at him, completely perplexed. This morning he had been debating whether it was worth reading _Quidditch teams of Britain and Ireland_ a sixth time, and now suddenly he was in the middle of a discussion about leaving Privet Drive to live with a werewolf and an escaped convict.

"You mean, you'd…adopt me?"

Sirius gave of a bark of laughter that sounded quite dog-like, and Lupin forced a small smile as well. "No, Harry. I'm afraid with the recent…publication of my condition, the ministry would never allow that. Not that I'd want that; you already have Sirius. Legally, you'd still be living with your aunt and uncle, and Dumbledore asked for you to return there for at least a week every summer. But if you want, and if we get your aunt and uncle's permission, you can spend the rest of your holidays with us."

For a moment, Harry was silent. Then, when the reality of what Lupin had just said finally sunk in, a broad grin crept over his face. "That's…awesome!"

Sirius grinned, too. "Told you he'd say yes," he smirked at Lupin, who merely smiled.

"Leaves the question what the Dursleys will say."

The bubble of happiness that had been building in Harry's stomach deflated somewhat at that, and he swallowed glumly. The Dursleys' mission in life was to make his own life as miserable as possible. Allowing him to stay with his godfather and favourite teacher certainly wasn't part of that plan.

"Oh." He frowned. "Well…they _are_ pretty scared Sirius will come and kill them in their sleep if they don't treat me nicely…do you think I could tell them you're a werewolf? That should scare them enough. Or maybe they'll hope you eat me."

Lupin stared at him with a horrified look on his face, but Sirius erupted into laughter. "You told them about me? That's brilliant! Definitely James' son."

Lupin frowned. "Actually, I think that's more Lily," he said absentmindedly, obviously still a bit shocked. "She could be surprisingly malicious." He shook his head. "As effective at that might be, maybe telling them about my condition is not the best idea, Harry. I'll try and talk to your uncle when we go back."

"But…but what if he says no? Can I still come? Can I at least visit?" Harry was suddenly afraid. He had lived through the disappointment of having a home promised and then snatched away once, he didn't think he could bear it again.

Sirius' expression became grim. "If he says no I'll shit on his front porch until he changes his mind."

"Very helpful, thank you Sirius." Lupin rose. "Thanks a lot for the breakfast, Mrs Figg. I'm sorry for barging in here so suddenly, but I didn't want to risk apparition with Harry and Sirius."

The old lady smiled. "Not at all, Remus. It's good to see you coping so well, despite all that horrible stuff in the Prophet. Drop by for tea some time, will you? And owl me if there's news." Sirius rose as well. "Thanks for the sausages. And, you know. Not ratting me out to the Aurors. Come on Harry, I have a shrubbery to piss on."

Harry couldn't help but laugh as he hastily said goodbye to the old squib and followed Lupin and the black dog out onto the street. It was odd seeing Sirius like this, joking and careless when just two weeks ago he had been nothing more than a skeletal shell. But it warmed his heart knowing he was well and fed and not living off rats in some cave.

"What will you tell them?" Harry wondered as he and Lupin walked back towards Privet Drive.

"The truth. Or most of it, anyway. That I was a friend of your parents and offered you to spend the holidays at my place."

Harry frowned, his hopes rapidly falling. "I…I don't think that's a good idea. They hate me, they won't want to see me happy. Can't you tell them I've got to attend summer lessons or something?"

Lupin threw him an odd look. "I don't think they hate you. And even if they do-", he hastily added, ignoring Harry's doubtful snort, "Wouldn't that make them want to get rid of you as soon as possible?"

The werewolf had a point – the Dursleys had asked him before to spend the summer holidays at school. But when it came to Vernon Dursley, Harry was rather certain that hate outweighed the desire to see him gone.

"Maybe.", he said uncertainly, as they reached number four. "Behave yourself," Lupin warned the dog, who seemed ready to set off towards the flowerbeds again and now shot him an reproachful look. Lupin ignored him, and rang the doorbell.

The door opened almost immediately, and Harry was certain that Aunt Petunia had kept watch for them from behind her kitchen curtains. "Get in, boy," Uncle Vernon spat, not sparing Lupin a look. Apparently he had come to the conclusion that someone who dressed this shabbily wasn't worth politeness, wizard or not.

But the werewolf merely smiled, and stepped forward. "Actually, I was wondering if you could spare a minute. I have a proposal concerning Harry."

Vernon stared at him, red creeping back into his face, and for a moment Harry thought he'd tell Lupin that no, he could not spare a minute. But finally he budged, and took a reluctant step backwards to let Lupin in. Sirius shot past him, and judging by the shriek from the living room, found Petunia. Lupin muttered some expletives and hastily followed. "Padfoot! Stay!"

For a moment Harry met his uncle's gaze, and swallowed. Yes. Hate was definitely the overriding feeling right now.

* * *

 **So what do you think?**

 **I'll update soon, but I'd be happy about some comments :)**


	2. Old Friends and New Plans

**Thansk to all those who have read and reviewed! :)**

 **Actually forgot the disclaimer last chapter (again), so here it is: None of the characters or the world are mine, everything belongs to Rowling. Except the title, which I stole from Neil Young's _Down By The River_.**

 **Enjoy the next chapter :)**

* * *

 **Old Friends and New Plans**

„You want what?"

Lupin didn't flinch at Uncle Vernon's outburst despite the spit droplets hitting his face, but his smile grew a bit strained. "I have offered Harry to stay with me during the holidays," he repeated, still unfailingly polite as if there wasn't a 16-stone-man shouting at him. "I went to school with his father, and Harry liked the idea."

Harry immediately realized that Lupin had made a mistake in mentioning James Potter, for his uncle's face contorted into another grimace of disgust. Harry swallowed, his hopes falling. "And who exactly are you?" Uncle Vernon asked, presumably to buy himself time.

"Remus Lupin, as I said," Lupin answered, patience finally wearing thin. "I was a teacher at Harry's school until this summer." Harry winced at his words, and Uncle Vernon's face grew even redder.

Why couldn't Lupin just lie? Sirius wasn't a great help either, curiously trotting around the room, obviously enjoying Petunia's alarmed looks as he carelessly brushed past breakable vases and treaded dirt into her perfect carpet.

He decided to ignore the former professor's warnings and took a step forward. "He resigned 'cos people found out he's a werewolf." Harry ignored Lupins grip on his arm.

" _Harry_ "

"But he's got a house I can live in. Sirius will be there, too. You know, my godfather. He says he can't wait to see me, says he might even come himself to fetch me if I don't show up soon."

The dog gave a loud bark from the other side of the room, wagging his tail. Lupin said nothing, a look of absolute horror on his face. Petunia let out a shriek of alarm, Dudley ran out of the room immediately, and Uncle Vernon…

* * *

 _Ron,_

 _You'll never guess what happened. Lupin and Padfoot showed up, and offered me to live with them! Lupin has a cottage somewhere in Devonshire, and I can move in there tonight! The Dursleys almost didn't allow it, but when I told them he was a werewolf and friends with Padfoot they couldn't get rid of me soon enough. I'm packing my trunk now and Lupin will pick me up after dinner._

 _He says it would be best if the ministry didn't know too much about it, so maybe tell your dad not to talk about it at work. I'll write again when I'm there._

 _Harry_

Harrry was still grinning as he handed the letter to Hedwig, who had been waiting for Harry with a pack of snacks from Hermoine when he had come back into his room, positively jumping with joy. Lupin might have disapproved of Harry's scare tactics, but he had to admit they worked. And it wasn't like the Dursleys would contact the aurors.

"I'll be moving tonight, so don't come back here, okay?" Harry told the owl as he opened the window to let her out. "I'll be at Lupin's cottage. You'll find that, won't you?" Hedwig shot him an undignified look, obviously insulted by the notion she might not find her way, and leapt out into the midday sun.

Harry watched her go, beaming with the knowledge that he, too, would soon be leaving Privet Drive for good.

 _Well, not quite. Lupin says you'll still have to go back next summer for a week._

But what was a week compared to two months? Harry opened the bag of snacks – sugar-free and not exactly his favourites, but it wasn't like he was gonna get lunch from the Dursleys – and surveyed his room. It was astonishing, really, just how messy it had gotten over just four short days.

Would he have his own room in Lupin's house?

He didn't care, really. For the chance to move away from his aunt and uncle he'd gladly sleep in a broom cupboard if he had to (and it wasn't like he didn't have any experience with that), and the prospect of living with his godfather was just…

 _Strange_ , if Harry was honest with himself.

He had only really met Sirius once before today, and despite everything his godfather was still a complete stranger. A stranger who loved and cared for him, who was his father's best friend, but a stranger nonetheless. He knew more about Lupin, but the werewolf was his teacher, and the idea of living with him was possibly even stranger.

And yet Harry knew that it would be worth it, no matter how awkward it might start out as. After all, technically Lupin wasn't his teacher anymore. And he had all the time in the world to get to know Sirius.

Yes, Harry thought as he slowly set about collecting his scattered belongings, this summer would certainly be the best one yet.

* * *

"I can't believe he'd just…" Remus was still not quite over Harry's sudden exclamation at the Dursleys as he apparated himself and Sirius back to the rundown cottage at the edge of a forest. "What was he _thinking_? If Dursley reports this-"

He was interrupted by the sound of laughter as Sirius changed back into human form, roaring with amusement. " _He'll come and get me himself..._ Prongs would be so proud!"

Remus shot him a sour look and hastily ushered his friend through the door. The area was completely deserted, the next house a mile away and the village five, but he still didn't want to risk anything.

They still weren't done setting up all the wards, and despite Dumbledore's intervention the ministry might come after him looking for Sirius.

Seeing Remus' frown Sirius finally stopped laughing. "Come on Moony, don't be such a buzzkill. They're muggles, they won't tell anyone. And even if they do, Harry can just say he was bluffing. Cheer up. And maybe go get some groceries, we got a teenager to feed soon." With that he waltzed off towards the stairs, eager to prepare the bedroom for Harry's arrival.

Remus let out a long sigh. Sirius was right, of course. They were safe, otherwise Dumbledore would never have allowed them to bring Harry here. But he still wasn't quite over the shock of returning to his home only to find a large black dog sitting on his doorstep, informing him they were about to take in a fourteen year old boy.

* * *

 _It was June, but the wind was uncharacteristically cold as Remus walked up the narrow path, pulling his cloak firmer around his shoulders. The sun was already vanishing behind the trees, yet air was still full with birdsong. On another day he might have enjoyed the idyllic scenery, but today he had no eye for it._

 _One month. Only one month had he managed to keep his parents' house. It had taken him almost a year and pretty much all of his Hogwarts wages to pay off the debt on the property, and yet he had made it his absolute priority. It had felt wrong, terribly wrong to garnish his childhood home when it was left to him by his father, but years of poverty and unemployment had left him with very little choice._

 _And now, just when he thought he might live there again, everything shattered again. How long could he afford to live with just one month's wages? How long before he'd have to go into debt again? Maybe he should just sell the house for good this time, save himself the horrendous goblin interest._

 _The thatched roof appeared between the trees, battered and covered in dirt._

Clean it up first, maybe. No-one's going to pay for a derelict ruin.

 _The forest fell away, and Remus came to an abrupt halt. On his doorstep, beneath the weather-beaten sign that once read_ Birch Cottage _sat a black, bear-sized dog._

 _For a moment he hesitated._

That could be any dog. Who knows what kind of animals live in the forest these days.

 _Then he shook himself, and briskly bridged the last few steps. Of course it wasn't just any black dog._

 _He hastily waved his wand, opening the door, and ushered the dog inside without a word. Only when he had firmly closed the door behind him, muttering a spell to keep in the sound, did he turn around. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here? Do you realize half the ministry is still after you?"_

" _Only half? How disappointing." The black-haired man answered almost bored, curiously looking around. "Gee, this place's certainly gone a bit bottom side up since your mum left. Ever heard of cleaning spells?"_

" _I haven't lived here in sixteen years. If you had called, I'd have made sure to get the spring cleaning done first."_

 _For a moment they were silent. Then, simultaneously, they started to laugh._

" _Merlin. If I end up in Azkaban, I'm blaming you. Tea?"_

 _Sirius nodded, and followed him into the kitchen. "Sounds good. Haven't had tea since '81."_

 _Remus looked up from where he was filling the kettle, and for the first time realized that his friend was still wearing the rags he had escaped Azkaban in. "Right…how are you? Physically, I mean?"_

 _Sirius shrugged. "Been better, to be honest. Do you have food?" Wordlessly Remus summoned a bar of chocolate from his abandoned cloak._

" _What are you looking for here?" he asked, levitating two cups onto the table and taking a seat next to his old friend._

" _Something to eat, for starters," Sirius muttered between hungry bites of chocolate, "I've lived off rats for most of the last year. Not that there isn't some degree of satisfaction to it, mind you, but the taste isn't exactly gourmet."_

 _Remus winced, thinking about himself stuffing his face with the finest produce of the Hogwarts kitchen while Sirius was sleeping in the forbidden forest, living off whatever he could find. "Why didn't you try to contact me sooner? I could have helped you."_

 _Sirius met his gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Would you have believed me? If I had just showed up in your office, without warning, without proof?"_

 _Remus lowered his head. "No, I think not," he admitted, and sighed. "I'd have probably thought you were trying to kill me. I was wondering, actually. When you broke out. Whether you would come after me if you had the chance. I was hoping for it, really."_

 _He closed his eyes, guilt flooding over him. "I should have known. It just…it's so obvious it was Peter, I don't know why I never…"_

" _Don't." Sirius interrupted him, placing a hand on his shoulders. "Trust me, just don't go there. I've had twelve years of it, and it doesn't do any good. I thought you were the spy, you thought it was me. We both made mistakes, and we both paid for it. I'm not here to open old wounds."_

 _Remus looked up. "What_ are _you here for, exactly?"_

 _Immediately the solemn expression was replaced by a broad grin. "I'm here because of Harry. I said he could move in with me. But he can't now, can he, 'cos I'm in hiding and the ministry won't let him live on his own with a dog."_

 _Remus nodded. "So?"_

" _So I'm moving in with you! That way Harry will officially live with you – and your dog – and nobody can say a thing. It'll be just like the old days!"_

 _Remus stared at him blankly. He blinked. Sirius grin was still there. He wasn't dreaming. He blinked again. "You want me," he said finally, "a recently exposed werewolf who is currently on every front page, having endangered hundreds of schoolchildren, to take in a fourteen year old boy, the most famous boy in the wizarding world no less? To secretly live with a convicted mass murderer?"_

 _Sirius grin broadened. "I knew you'd like the idea, Moony!"_

* * *

No. He hadn't bloody liked the idea one bit. For starters, he had about enough funds to buy himself three more hot meals. He was soon going to be homeless, and with his name in every paper unlikely to ever get a job again. Really, when it came to living comfort Sirius would soon be above him. At least his friend could turn into a dog to hunt.

Sirius had been quick to wave away that objection. "I got tons of gold. I just can't use it 'cos I'm a wanted criminal. That's why I need you. I own the gold, you spend it for me. Deal?"

Remus hadn't liked that idea either. He had little enough in life, but he at least had his pride. And he certainly wasn't going to live off his friend's funds, no matter how desperate.

Sirius had of course known that, and come up with another, much harder to brush off argument. "Think about Harry. He hates his aunt and uncle. They're horrible to him. I promised him he could move in with me, and he was so happy – do you really want to take that away from him? From Prongs' son?"

Desperate, Remus had drawn up one last defence. "Dumbledore would never allow it. There's a reason Harry is living with them, he's safe there. He won't be safe here. Not to mention what the ministry will say."

Sadly, Dumbledore was all-too easily convinced. And as for the ministry of magic, Sirius had a very simple answer.

"Piss on Fudge."

And so here he was, pacing in the kitchen wondering how on earth it had come to this. Not that he didn't want Harry – or Sirius – living with him. Quite frankly, having expected to spent the summer in depression and increasing poverty this situation was really quite wonderful. But that didn't help the slightest with being nervous.

What would Harry think of him? Of him living here? Sure, he had seemed to like Remus at Hogwarts, and even told him he was the best Defence teacher they ever had, but back then Remus had been a professor. Surely no boy would want to live with his professor, former or not? Would Harry be happier if he could live with Sirius on his own? Sirius was hid godfather, his father's best friend. Remus was…

" _You'll be the sensible uncle. The one who helps him with his homework and keeps him from killing himself," James grinned. "And trust me, he'll need you. 'Cos I'm not gonna be the sensible parent, Sirius certainly won't be, and Lily will be too busy shouting at the two of us for letting him have his own broomstick. That kid's gonna be hopeless without you."_

 _Remus didn't answer, staring instead in wonder at the tiny infant in his hands._ Uncle…. _Harry started to cry, and he hastily handed him back to his father._

Uncle…some uncle he was, not even once bothering to go see him in all this time.

 _I thought he was safe. Well. I thought Petunia had at least some heart in her._

But he had been wrong, and Harry had lived through a childhood of suffering.

"Stop pouting and get the shopping done!" Sirius voice drifted from somewhere upstairs, tearing him from his dark musings. Remus couldn't help but smile as he gathered up the list and picked up his coat from the mantle stand. As annoying as Sirius might be sometimes, he was glad to have his friend back. And who knew – if Sirius managed to make up for twelve years of missed godfather-duties, maybe Remus could yet get into the role of uncle. Or at least family friend. Favourite teacher was probably a decent starting point.

* * *

 **I know it's a bit slow right now, but Tonks will show up soon, promise!**

 **Meanwhile, why don't you tell me what you think about this so far? :)**


	3. Past and Future

**Shorter chapter today, and a bit darker. I apologize in advance.**

 **alix33: Welcome to this story, glad to see you here as well :) I love the idea of Hedwig beating Harry in a game of cards :D**

* * *

 **Past and Future**

"It's from Ron!" Harry exclaimed as he sat down again with the letter in his hand. Hedwig joined Errol on the kitchen cupboard. The Weasley owl had arrived on his first day in Birch Cottage with an enormous fruit cake and several pasties, Molly Weasley's answer to his plea for help. Harry felt slightly guilty since he didn't really need the food anymore, but Sirius had insisted it was a lifesaver until they could get Lupin to cook proper food, not the frugal live-off-one-pound-a-day stuff he had offered so far. (Sirius' wording)

"If they're asking whether their owl died tell them yes and we'll buy them a new one. That piece of rags is just sad." Sirius looked over to Errol, who still hadn't recovered from his journey despite being here for three days now.

"We're not going kill their bird, Sirius," Lupin said from the stove, where he was cooking porridge. "And don't insult other people's property, that owl is perfectly capable of carrying letters."

Sirius snorted. "You take it, then. Fits your robes and your cooking."

Harry, having gotten quite used to their bickering by now, ignored them and opened the letter.

 _Harry_

 _You're living with Sirius and Lupin? How awesome is that! I mean, it must be really weird living with a teacher, but Lupin is cool. And anything is better than the Dursleys, I bet. Where does he live? Can I come visit you?_

 _Mum was a bit shocked when she heard; I think she's scared of Lupin now that she knows he's a werewolf. But we told her he was the best teacher ever, and that he was friends with your dad and everything, and I think I convinced her not to start a rescue mission. The only problem is, I think Percy might have let something slip to his boss – he works at the ministry now – so they might come looking. But that's alright, isn't it? I mean it's not like you're there illegally… I'm really sorry, anyway. I got Fred and George to send dragon dung into Percy's office for revenge, the traitorous git._

 _Ron_

Harry looked up. "I think the ministry knows I'm here."

There was a clattering noise as Lupin dropped the kettle into the sink. " _What?_ "

Harry flinched back at his sharp tone. "Erm…Ron – Ron's brother, Percy. He works at the ministry now, and apparently he told his boss. I'm sorry; I told Ron it should be kept secret, and I don't think Mr Weasley told anybody. But Percy…well." Harry had never liked Percy as much as the other Weasleys, and his absolute insistence on correctness and rules was the main reason.

"That little rat," Sirius hissed, setting his toast down. "I thought the Weasleys were decent."

"They are!" Harry exclaimed. No matter what he thought about Percy, he was far too grateful for everything the Weasleys had done for him to let anybody speak badly of him, not even Sirius.

"Of course they are," Lupin quickly stepped in. "And I can't really blame him. The idea of a fourteen year old boy living with a werewolf…"

"Oh shut up, Moony," Sirius interrupted him, "it's not like you're letting him stay with you during the full moon. It's none of anybody's business."

"Still," Lupin continued, ignoring his friend's anger. "We should prepare for some ministry snooping. I think it would be best if you cleared your bed every morning, and shut away your clothes somewhere safe. An extra sleeping place will be hard to explain if they come round to search the place. I'll install some additional wards, so we'll be warned in time. And for Merlin's sake, _don't_ wander about in human form."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Sure thing, Dad." But he went upstairs nonetheless, twirling his wand that Lupin had retrieved from his vault for him two days ago.

"I'm sorry," Harry said quietly when his godfather had disappeared. "I didn't want to make things harder for you."

Lupin merely smiled at him. "Don't worry, Harry. They'll make a fuss, but we haven't broken any laws. There's nothing they can do, really."

Harry didn't feel terribly relieved, and the weary look in Lupin's eyes told him that the werewolf wasn't quite convinced either. But he decided to drop the topic, asking instead: "Do you think Ron could come and visit? He was asking." He felt oddly excited. During his childhood he had never had friends to ask over to his place, even if the Dursleys would have allowed it.

Lupin hesitated, and the smile disappeared. Immediately Harry regretted his words. This was still Lupin's place; surely it was rude asking to have guests over when he himself was a guest. "Sorry. I mean, I just thought…" He trailed off just as the smile returned to Lupin's face, slightly more forced than before.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Harry. His parents will hardly be thrilled."

Harry's mouth fell open as he realized why Lupin was hesitating. "Because you're a werewolf? But you were our teacher!"

Lupin looked at the window, not meeting Harry's gaze. "Yes, and a lot of people are very upset about that."

"For Merlin's sake, not the werewolf thing again." Sirius interrupted them, obviously having cleared his room. "What's he beating himself up over now?"

Lupin didn't answer, so Harry said carefully: "Ron asked if he could visit."

Immediately Sirius started grinning. "Sure! Great idea!" He took a look at Lupin, and added: "Ignore Moony's pouting, he does that. Just tell Ron to send us an owl whenever he wants to come, and we'll open up the floo."

Harry looked over to Lupin uncertainly, but the werewolf didn't argue any further, seemingly having accepted Sirius' decision.

It was an odd relationship between the two Marauders, Harry had found. They were undeniably close, closer than he and Ron despite not having seen each other for over a decade. They bickered a lot, like Ron and Hermoine, but obviously on purpose and more light-hearted. Yet at other times they were extremely respectful towards each other, almost as if they were afraid to hurt the other one. Harry was usually taken by surprise by the sudden changes, but he supposed they knew each other well enough to know when joking was appropriate and when it wasn't. Harry couldn't help but smile at the thought that he was now part of this. They were his family now. And it was a better family then he could ever have wished for.

It had been strange at first, living with adults who didn't despise him, and also didn't treat him overly careful as a guest like the Weasleys did. Sirius and Lupin were just… _there._ They had breaktfast together, usually prepared by Lupin, who seemed to be up at dawn every day, and after they'd read, play cards, go for a walk, and just do _normal_ things. Sometimes they flew around the garden (much to Buckbeak's annoyance, who was kept on a leash so he wouldn't fly off), or go down to the nearest village for some groceries. One time they even went to Diagon Alley, to buy clothes for Sirius (and Harry, because Sirius insisted that no godson of his would be allowed to walk around in the baggy hand-me-downs of his obnoxious cousin). They played chess, usually him and Sirius against Lupin, in a desperate attempt to beat him at least once, something that, the werewolf claimed, the other Marauders had actually tried (and failed) to do since their first year in Hogwarts.

All in all, it was just how Harry had imagined normal children spent their summer holidays, children who didn't dread going home, to whom "Good morning" instead of a disdainful stare and a warning to comb their hair was perfectly normal.

* * *

"You think they'll make him go back to the muggles?" Remus looked up from the book he'd been reading as Sirius entered with two glasses and a bottle of Firewhisky. He frowned at that; Harry had gone to bed half an hour ago yet it didn't seem very responsible to get drunk with him in the house to possibly witness it. And Sirius had a worrying tendency to not stop until the bottle was dry, as Remus had noticed over the past few weeks. But today he was too exhausted to really care, and so he accepted the glass without comment.

"They'll try," he said, putting his book down. "Right now there's nothing they can legally do. But laws can be changed, and the mood is certainly right for that. Did you read what that Umbridge woman wrote in this morning's prophet? "

"That was supposed to be an article? There was so much shit in it I thought they had accidentally sent out toilet paper."

Remus rolled his eyes, taking another sip. Sirius had never taken all that anti-werewolf legislation very seriously. He complained about it, called the ministry racists pigs and worse, but he never really understood Remus' worry. It probably came with being a Black, who never had to care too much about the ministry as they had enough money to lead pretty much any life wanted and a name that would get them anything money didn't.

"You'd think it had gotten better after the war," Sirius mused, pouring himself another glass. "That they had actually understood why so many werewolves joined Voldemort."

"The attacks didn't stop after he was dead," Remus said, remembering that there was a lot that Sirius had missed. "They actually got worse, because many of the werewolves panicked and abandoned Greyback. Vicious murderer that he is, he did keep them in one place, and their attacks were focused. On their own, most didn't have a place to stay, and even those who didn't plan to attack anyone ended up doing so because they just transformed anywhere. On the first full moon after, I think there were almost a hundred casualties, most of them muggle. There was a huge outcry of course, demanding they do something, hunt them… Next month, the culling started."

He stared into the fire. It felt odd talking about this. It was deeply personal for himself, yet he had never discussed it with anybody. After all, it was public knowledge – unless you had been in Azkaban for twelve years.

"The Aurors didn't even distinguish who was guilty and who wasn't; they just killed any werewolf they found. Once they realized what was going on, most of them panicked, of course. Greyback tried to gather them, fight back, but most of them didn't even have wands, and they had no chance. The ministry almost halved the werewolf population in just three months, and a lot of the rest fled to the continent to escape. Once the anger had died down and people learned just how brutal the ministry had acted – there was this case of a twelve-year-old boy who had been hiding in his parents' basement when they killed him – the culling was halted, and they fired a few people. But there're still a lot of people who view it as a missed opportunity, saying that they should've "cured" us of lycantrophy once and for all."

When he had finished, Sirius was silent for a while. Then he emptied his glass, poured himself another and emptying it as well before letting out a string of loud curses that Remus prayed didn't wake up Harry.

"Merlin's fucking pants," Sirius finally growled. "And I always thought it was the good guys who won the war."

Remus shrugged. "They panicked. Everyone thought the war was won, and then suddenly people were dying again…it didn't help that the attack on Alice and Frank was just a few days prior, and everyone was shocked already."

Sirius face darkened, and Remus winced. He had had thirteen years to come to terms with the fact that their friends spent their lives as empty shells, but for Sirius it was still raw.

"What did you do?" the animagus asked after a long silence.

"I wasn't in the country; I had left a day after the funeral. Didn't feel like celebrating." It had been almost unbearable, watching the wizarding world rejoicing victory when to him, the war had been lost.

"Should have come visited me, then. Azkaban had the right mood." Sirius laughed bitterly. "Where'd you go?"

Remus shrugged. "Continent. Eastern Europe mostly, travelling around. They've got a lot of dark creatures in the rural parts, and I usually found someone who could spare some knuts to get rid of the odd boggart or kappa. Not the most glamorous life but it kept me alive." He rolled his eyes at Sirius' disbelieving look. "I was never going to have a proper career, was I? And it was good, really – the countryside was empty enough I could always find a safe spot to transform, and they don't prosecute werewolves as much over there. Also, the booze's cheap."

Sirius stared at him. "So you just drunkenly wandered around Russia? What happened to…I don't know, finding a girl? Starting a family?"

Remus actually laughed at that. "A family? I'm an unemployed werewolf who can't rub two sickles together. I was never going to _start a family_. And after what happened, after James, Lily…and Peter and you… there wasn't really any future to think of. I just wanted it all to go away. And I nearly managed to, a few times. If werewolves didn't have this ridiculous alcohol tolerance I wouldn't be sitting here."

It felt odd, talking about those days openly; years that he was so ashamed of he had never really told anybody about that. Not that he had had anybody to talk to about it.

Sirius didn't answer for a moment. "Sorry," he finally said. "I never really thought about what it must have been like for you. I just figured…I dunno, the war was over, you still had friends in the order… it sort of helped, to know that at least one of us still had a life."

Remus took another deep gulp from his glass. "It shouldn't have been me," he said after a while, "That's what I was thinking, all those years. It should have been James and Lily, or you, or Peter. People who actually had a future. Somehow I never saw myself living past the war. We lost people all the time, and I was always certain that it'd be my turn soon. And it felt good, knowing that it wouldn't be for nothing, that I might save other people. That my death would be worth at least _something_. I never figured out what to do if I didn't die. Still haven't, really."

Silence descended again, and for a while they just stared into the fire, wordlessly passing the bottle to fill another glass. Remus hadn't even noticed when Sirius had summoned the second one from the kitchen.

"Urgh, this has gotten way too morbid," Sirius finally breathed, voiced distinctively slurred. "What made you come back to England?"

Remus chuckled darkly. "Not exactly a topic to raise the mood, I'm afraid. It was Dad; he took pretty much the same approach to dealing with peacetime as I did, with the disadvantage of not having werewolf genes. Finally managed to drink himself to death about five years after the war ended."

" _Shit_. I'm sorry, Moony, I didn't-"

Remus hastily waved his apology away. "Don't be. I wasn't, at least not really. You didn't see him much after he and Mum separated, but he didn't exactly take it well. That, and me being…well, what I am. I should have tried to help him, stop him from getting that bad, but with the Order work and everything…" He shrugged again. "By the time it was all over he was too far gone already. Visited him once before I left, but he ended up throwing me out. Next time I saw him was in a coffin."

"Fuck. I mean, I knew he had a drinking problem, but…" Sirius threw a disdainful look at the half filled whisky glass in his hand, before shrugging and drinking from it anyway.

"My parents had the courtesy of dying while I was locked up. Which means that Grimmauld Place is actually mine now," he shuddered, taking another sip. "I was thinking about burning it down if I ever get pardoned. Or maybe sell it to some muggles if I can get rid of all the dark shit they put on it. That should keep them spinning in their graves."

Remus saw a hateful shimmer springing into his friend's eyes, one he had seen there many times right before some poor Slytherin found himself with a swollen head. He tentatively took the bottle and placed it out of Sirius reach.

But the anger vanished as soon as it had come. "What about your Mum, then? Still seeing that banker?"

Remus nodded wistfully, staring into the fire. "Married him, actually. They live up in Yorkshire now. Haven't been to visit in ages, but we write. I think it's easier for her that way."

His mother was a muggle, who had come into contact with the magical world when a boggart attacked her in the woods. And although his father saved her, and assured her that there was never any real danger, this rather unpromising start was followed up by a much more traumatic incident when her son was bitten, leaving her to raise a monster.

Remus knew that even though she loved his father, Hope Lupin had always regretted entering his world, a world that to her eyes was filled with terrors and nightmares. And when Remus had left school, moving away from his parents, she had left as well. His father hadn't taken it well, even though he hadn't tried to stop her – after all, with Voldemort on the rise the wizarding world wasn't a safe place for a muggle anymore.

Remus had still stayed in contact with his mother, but he knew she feared him, feared his world and what he became every month, and so he had distanced himself, glad that she had found a second chance for happiness in the muggle world.

Sirius nodded slowly, and they both went back to their own thoughts.

"You know that's bullshit, don't you?" Sirius suddenly said, and Remus jerked up, almost having dozed off.

"What is?" he asked, confused.

"What you said earlier, about you having no future. You _have_ a life. You have a house, you have me and Harry, and there's no reason why you shouldn't get yourself a girl. I mean, I'm depending on you here; I can't really go out and do it myself, can I? Gotta live vicariously through you."

Remus snorted. "Give it a rest, Padfoot. I'm happy with what I got, really." He smiled at his friend. "It's good to have you back."

For a moment Sirius' seemed to return the smile, then his face distorted into a sneer. "Urgh, you get terribly sentimental when you're drunk, Moony. Go to bed, this is embarrassing."

Remus had to laugh, genuinely, for the first time that night, and rose to his feet. "Don't pass out on the floor; Harry might see you in the morning."

"Fuck off, werewolf."

Yes. He really had missed his friend.

* * *

 **Some of Remus' backstory was taken from Pottermore, though his parents' divorce and everythign past that is my interpretation. I do apologize for the grimness of it all. It'll get lighter from now on, I promise!**

 **As always, reviews are more than welcome :)**


	4. Meeting Aurors

**As you might have guessed from the title, we're finally meeting Tonks ;)**

 **alix33: Not sure about the pastries, to be honest. I took those from out of the book, and I don't think Rowling specified. Although given I only have the German version of the book at hand, I might have mixed something up when translating it back. About the pound, didn't even think about it, good point! Even if he knew, he'd clearly have gone for the more familiar currency. To be honest, I don't like the name "Hope" much - generally not a fan of names that are just words - but since Rowling provided it, I thought I might as well use it. And I do apologize about the darkness of it all. If it helps, it probably won't get this dark again for quite some time. And there's no way I'm having it end the way DH did!**

 **If I missed a question I apologize, fanfiction seems to have a problem where it'll tell me there are reviews for the story, but not actually display them. I'm guessing they'll fix it at some point, but it means I didn't actually get to read all of your comments yet. (Don't let that keep you from reviewing this one, though! I'll read them as soon as it goes back to normal!)  
**

* * *

 **Meeting Aurors**

The ministry people showed up a week after Harry had arrived, a day before the full moon. Remus was surprised it had taken them this long, really.

Sirius and Harry were out when the low gong sounded through the house, indicating that someone had crossed the wards he had set up around the property. Remus had barely enough time to send a Patronus to them, warning them to be careful when they returned.

Usually Sirius abided by the security rules set up by Dumbledore, and only left the grounds in his animagus form. He and Harry had taken up the habit of long walks, on which Harry would tell him about his life, about the Dursleys, his adventures in Hogwarts and all the other things that his godfather had missed while in prison. Usually Sirius was content with listening, but sometimes, especially when they got close to home, he would give in to the urge to say something, and Remus had sent a stinging jinx his way more than once when he returned in human form.

The silvery figure had barely disappeared through the back wall when there was a loud knock on the door, followed by a sharp: "Open up, Aurors here."

Remus pocketed his wand and straightened his patched robes, cursing the pre-moon exhaustion that lay on him like lead.

 _Time to find out just how many laws you've broken._

* * *

Tonks' first reaction upon seeing the little cottage was disappointment. The forest around it was green and brimming with life, birdsong filled the air and sunlight dappled the ground. The house itself stood on a small clearing surrounded by a low hedge, the thatched roof sunk in a little, walls slightly crooked but freshly painted in sparkling white. It looked almost comically idyllic, like something straight of a muggle fairy-tale.

Not the home of a dark creature.

"That's it?" she asked incredulously, unable to contain her astonishment. "He lives _here_? Not much of a werewolf, is he? I was expecting something a lot darker. A cave, maybe a broken down shed…"

Dawlish sent her a withering look and strut forward without a word, leaving Tonks to roll her eyes at his back before following him.

Of all the people to be sent on duty with… Dawlish had the sense of humour of a dead flobberworm, and about an equal amount of charm. Mad-Eye had used to frown upon her comments as well, but at least with him she had known he was secretly amused. Dawlish on the other hand… Tonks highly doubted he even knew what amusement was.

She decided to ignore his hostility and continued talking while they walked towards the strangely idyllic werewolf den. "So what are we going to do? Just knock on his door, ask him, _I'm sorry, do you happen to plan on eating Harry Potter?_ Wouldn't that be a bit rude?"

Dawlish stopped suddenly, and for a moment she thought he was going to snap at her, but instead he merely drew his wand, murmuring a spell. A second later, a line started glowing softly on the ground, just behind him, vanishing between the trees in both directions.

Tonks let out a low whistle. Obviously the werewolf knew what he was doing. Dawlish seemed less impressed at having crossed the line without noticing, his face growing even darker as he set of again, at a brisker pace now. Tonks had barely time to catch up with him before he knocked on the door. "Open up. Aurors here," he barked, and Tonks rolled her eyes at his harsh tone.

"Calm down. We're here to question him, not arrest him for murder."

Before the older Auror could answer, the door opened, and the werewolf stood in front of them.

 _Well, he certainly fits the house…_ , was Tonks first thought as she took in the tall, slightly dishevelled looking man. His robes were shabby and numerously patched, but very neat, and his slightly too long hair was flecked with grey. He seemed tired, his face pale except for the dark rings beneath his eyes, yet there was a polite smile on his face as he looked at the two Aurors standing on his doorstep.

Professor, yes. But _werewolf_? Tonks struggled to think of any person she knew who looked less like a dark creature.

Dawlish seemed to have no such reservations. "Remus Lupin?" he asked in the same harsh voice as before.

Lupin nodded slowly, perfectly composed although Tonks noticed his eyes flicking between the two of them. "That would be me. How can I help you?"

"Aurors Dawlish and Tonks," Dawlish said, unnecessarily pointing towards the emblem on his scarlet robes. "We're here to ask a few questions concerning your recent living arrangements."

Lupin arched one of his eyebrows (a feat Tonks couldn't help but be jealous of; she never managed to keep the other one that still). "I wasn't aware those fell under the Aurors' jurisdiction."

Dawlish eyes narrowed, obviously irritated by the werewolf's demonstrative calmness. "The do if you're a werewolf living with a minor," he said bluntly. "Can we please come in?"

Lupin hesitated, and for a moment Tonks thought he was going to refuse them. But then he gave a curt nod, and stepped aside. "Can I offer you something to drink? Tea, Coffee? I'm afraid we're out of pumpkin juice."

"No," Dawlish growled, but Tonks decided that she had enough of his rudeness. She wasn't a lowly recruit anymore after all, and technically of the same rank as her colleague.

"Tea would be great, thanks. One sugar, no milk." She shot the werewolf a wide smile and set off towards the kitchen, ignoring his surprised look at her blazing pink hair but inwardly grinning. Being an Auror was fun.

By the time he got the kettle working however, the polite mask had returned to Lupin's face, and he motioned for them to sit. Tonks hadn't bothered to wait and was already looking around the kitchen curiously. There were a couple of pictures on the wall, most of which seemed to be from Lupin's time at Hogwarts, and on the table sat a disregarded Daily Prophet and a small pile of books, the titles of which Tonks had never heard but suspected might be Muggle. The back door stood open, revealing a large, open garden. At the far end stood a small shed that looked like it had seen better days, and in the middle stood a curious wooden pole, about four feet high, on top of which sat a snowy owl. For a moment Tonks thought she saw something move to the right of it, but before she could take a closer look Lupin had closed the door on his way to the cupboard.

"That's quite a strong ward you got out there for someone who is allegedly innocent." Dawlish broke through her musings. He had finally sat down, but his stiff posture betrayed his agitation. Tonks wondered if he was actually afraid of Lupin, and why – werewolf or not, the man seemed about as threatening as a niffler.

"Innocent?" Lupin repeated light-heartedly, frowning a little. "I hadn't realized I was accused of anything to be innocent of."

A trace of red crept into Dawlish's face, and Tonks couldn't help but silently congratulate the werewolf. Annoying people like Dawlish was one of her favourite pastimes, and he appeared to be a natural.

But before the Auror could snap at him, Lupin continued in a far more serious tone: "Forgive me for being paranoid, but I am sure you are aware of public mood towards werewolves, and especially my recent position at Hogwarts. People can do foolish things in anger, and I'd rather not wake up to any unpleasant surprises. Especially since there is a minor living here, as you correctly pointed out."

Tonks opened her mouth to ask if he actually expected a mob with pitchforks on his doorstep, but Dawlish already moved on. "Yes," he said sharply. "A minor. Harry Potter, no less. Are you aware that it is illegal for dark creatures to adopt children that are not their own?"

Lupin didn't flinch, despite the barely concealed hostility. Instead he went over to the stove a second before the kettle whistled – how often did he make tea to have timed it this accurately? Or was it just luck? – and spoke over his back while pouring it into cups.

"I am familiar with the regulations, yes. But I can assure you that I have no intention of adopting Harry, or any other children for that matter. I merely offered him a place to stay during the summer, and he agreed." He levitated two cups of tea over to the table and sat down himself. "Obviously I asked his uncle and aunt for permission. I've got it written and signed somewhere, if you want to see it."

Dawlish narrowed his eyes at him. "Those relatives – muggles, aren't they?"

A short smile flashed over Lupin's face, as if the Auror's question amused him. "As muggle as they come," he agreed, taking a sip of his tea before growing serious again. "I assume you suspect me of confounding them into signing? Maybe put Harry under the Imperius curse so he'd come?"

Dawlish's face reddened, and Tonks knew that this was exactly what he suspected.

"Can we talk to Potter?" she asked, partly to keep her colleague from exploding and partly because she really wanted to meet Harry Potter – mostly because of that, really. She had the impression this Lupin guy could handle an angry Dawlish.

But she was disappointed when the werewolf shook his head. "He's out at the moment, I'm afraid."

"Out?" Dawlish snapped, hand twitching towards his wand, obviously prepared to search the house right now for any secret dungeons which might host under-aged celebrities.

Lupin looked unconcerned. "Yes, out. He's walking the dog, left about an hour ago. He should be back soon if you'd like to wait."

"He's out in the forest on his own?" Dawlish growled.

"No, he's got the dog with him," Lupin corrected patiently, as if talking to a child. Tonks had got the feeling he enjoyed winding up Dawlish. "And I can assure you, the most dangerous thing around here are bowtruckles. Harry's thirteen, not three. And given he's killed a basilisk, I imagine he'll manage to fight off a couple of animated sticks."

Tonks couldn't help but let out a snigger, which earned her a death glare from Dawlish. "What about full moons?" he snapped angrily. "Are you planning to give him a little bite and then howl at the moon together?"

The smile vanished from Lupin's lips almost as soon as it had come, and all the remaining colour drained from his face. "I won't transform here," he said through gritted teeth after a short pause, every trace of amusement gone. "I'll go to a safe place, away from Harry. I do not intend to endanger him or any other person through my condition."

Dawlish seemed unimpressed. "Have you ever bitten another person?"

"No." Lupin's face was a rigid mask now, and Tonks sensed that he was fighting very hard to keep his composure. Any sort of amusement he might have felt at the interrogation was obviously gone.

"Were you a supporter of You-Know-Who?"

" _Dawlish_ ," Tonks hissed, abhorred by this sudden aggression. Lupin might be connected to the Sirius Black case somehow – she wasn't aware of the details; at the time Black escaped she had just been a trainee, and given her familial relations to him she had been kept at a distance anyway – but they had absolutely no reason to accuse him of being a dark wizard.

"I was not," Lupin responded icily, raising his head to meet Dawlish's gaze. His blue eyes suddenly seemed very cold. "In fact, I fought against him. Where was it again your family was hiding during the war, Dawlish? Norway? Sweden?"

" _You_ -"

Dawlish had jumped to his feet, but before he could draw his wand there was the sound of the door opening, and a young vice called out: "Professor Lupin? "

All the ice had vanished from Lupin's voice, and the look of unconcerned politeness returned to his face. "In the kitchen, Harry. And I told you, it's Remus."

His eyes were still fixed on Dawlish, who was now hastily sitting down again, and for a moment Tonks thought she could see something akin to triumph flicker through them. He hadn't lost his temper. Dawlish, a trained Auror, had. Tonks knew Lupin was a suspect and she should be wary of them, but somehow she couldn't help taking his side and giving a little grin of her own. Dawlish was quite simply an insufferable prick.

The kitchen door opened, and through it came a teenage boy with messy black hair, glasses, and a scar on his forehead. Almost instantly Tonks forgot all about the case, and couldn't help but stare.

 _Harry Potter._ The _real_ Harry Potter, in the flesh. Somehow he was smaller than she had expected, almost scrawny.

Upon seeing the two Aurors sitting at the table Potter froze, and Tonks was suddenly very aware of her staring. Hastily she averted her gaze, settling instead on the enormous black dog that had padded into the kitchen after the boy and was now watching the strangers with his head cocked to one side.

"Cool dog," she said, trying to break the awkward silence.

And it _was_ a cool dog, the size of a small bear, fur scruffy and eyes of a stormy grey that seemed to sparkle with intelligence. At her comment it gave a short bark, wagging its tail.

"Snuffles, _stay_ ," Lupin snapped quickly, even though the dog had barely moved. "Harry, this is Auror Dawlish and his colleague" – Tonks suspected he had actually forgotten her name, and couldn't help but feel slightly insulted – "They are here to ask a few questions. The ministry seems to be under the impression that I have kidnapped you."

Potter frowned, and then turned towards Dawlish. "That's idiotic. Why should he do that?" From his eyes shone so much genuine indignation that Tonks last doubts – if there had been any left at all – disappeared at once. Their investigation was clearly pointless.

Dawlish however remained sceptic. "You are aware he is a werewolf, aren't you Harry?" he asked, in a voice more suitable talking to someone half Potter's age. "Now, if he has in any way threatened you…or promised you things…"

The dog started to growl, prompting Lupin to put a hand on its scruff, but otherwise the werewolf seemed unmoved by those accusations. Unlike Potter.

"Are all the Aurors such idiots? Or did they just send the stupidest pair they could find?" he asked hotly, anger blazing in his green eyes.

" _Harry-_ ", Lupin started, but he was interrupted by Dawlish, who was now on his feet again.

"Watch your tongue, boy," he growled, hand shooting towards his wand. "The ministry is simply concerned for your well-being – "

"No, you're concerned about your reputation," Potter shot back. "Can't have Harry Potter living with a werewolf, can we? I got some news for you, Remus is twice the man you, or any of those ministry idiots are!"

"How _dare you_!" Dawlish wand was actually in his hand now, and Tonks realized she had to act quickly if she didn't want her colleague to face investigation for assault of a minor. Not that she'd mind seeing him in trouble, but as primary witness it would mean a ton of paper work and tedious court hearings for herself.

Lupin, however, was quicker. A mere split second after Dawlish had drawn his wand he was standing between the Auror and Potter, his own wand raised, the detached politeness replaced by cold fury. The dog – Snuffles? Odd name for such a monstrosity – was at his side, all bristled fur and bared fangs.

Suddenly Tonks wasn't quite sure at which side she should point her own wand, and so she just stood there frozen, watching the two men staring at each other with unconcealed hatred on their faces. Lupin broke the silence first, his voice still calm but so full of ice it actually sent a shiver down Tonks' back.

"If you ever point your wand at him again, I will kill you."

Dawlish was so surprised by those words he actually took a small step back, but he quickly caught himself. "Are you threatening me?" he barked.

Lupin was unimpressed, staring down at the Auror with open disgust. Tonks couldn't help but notice that he was a good deal taller than Dawlish.

"No. I am merely stating a fact. Now leave."

He took a step aside to free the way to the door, dragging Potter and the dog with him. For a moment Tonks thought Dawlish would actually attack, but then he just let out an angry grunt, threw one last hateful stare at Lupin and pocketed his wand. "You'll hear from us," he snapped, and set off towards the front door.

Tonks threw an apologetic look at Harry Potter before she followed her colleague. Before the front door slammed shut behind her, she was certain she heard Lupin's dry voice: "Looking forward to it."

As they walked back towards the apparition point, Tonks couldn't help but be confused by the encounter. It was obvious Potter was there of his own free will, and she highly doubted Lupin was actually a dark wizard, even if he was a werewolf. But she couldn't shake off the feeling he was hiding _something_ , and she felt oddly compelled to find out what it was.

But how would she do that? They had found nothing suspicious at all at his home, and they couldn't just question him again without reason, whatever Dawlish had said. Was there any other way she could talk to Lupin again?

As it turns out there was, just one week later.

* * *

As soon as the front door closed behind the Aurors, the strength seemed to flee from Lupin's body and he sank onto a chair, face suddenly grey and tired. "I shouldn't have done that."

"What, and just let those pricks insult you?" Sirius snorted. "I'm surprised you didn't hex the bastard. _I_ certainly would have. In fact, I've got half a mind to go after them and maul his sorry little arse."

Harry hadn't seen Sirius this angry since the night Peter Pettigrew escaped, but he couldn't help share his sentiment. He didn't know much about the ministry; in fact, the only ministry employees he had ever met were Mr Weasley and Cornelius Fudge.

Until a few weeks ago he had thought Fudge harmless, a bit bumbling perhaps, a bit condescending, but ultimately decent. That was until the minister had straight out refused to listen to Dumbledore about Sirius, trying to rob him of his soul without so much as a court hearing. From this new experience he concluded that it was in fact Mr Weasley who was the exception, not Fudge. That, or Aurors were simply dicks.

"They can't do anything though, can they?" Harry asked anxiously, "I mean, we didn't break any laws."

"You didn't, of course," Lupin answered, still staring at the wall. "I…depending on how they interpret it, and just how desperately they want to get rid of me, they can get me for threatening an official. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that, it was stupid."

"Ah, but you didn't threaten him," Sirius pointed out, lazily stretching out on the chair Dawlish had vacated. "You were merely _stating a fact_." He sniggered. "Classic line, Moony. Old, but gold."

Harry looked at his godfather, confused by his unconcerned demeanour. Was Sirius just trying to reassure him or was he really not worried?

"I think I'm going to lie down a bit," Lupin said, levitating the empty teacups over to the sink. "There's some leftover stew in the fridge if you get hungry." With that he slumped out of the room, stumbling a bit as he hit one of Sirius' discarded motorbike magazines that was lying on the floor.

"Is he alright?" Harry asked when the werewolf had disappeared up the stairs. Lupin looked terribly ill.

Sirius shrugged, and summoned a bag of Ice Mice. "Full moon coming up."

"Oh. Does he always get this bad?" Harry felt almost stupid for asking, but despite everything they had learned in class – how to recognize a werewolf, what spells worked on them, how to protect themselves – he knew next to nothing about what lycantrophy actually _meant_.

But Sirius merely nodded, holding the bag of sweets out to Harry. "Most times, yeah. It used to be a lot worse when he was younger; before Hogwarts there were times when he couldn't even leave the bed the week before. It got better over time, especially once we could stay with him so he wouldn't rip himself apart every full moon. And from what he tells me, the Wolfsbane potion helps a lot with the fatigue as well."

"But he doesn't have the potion now, does he? Snape made it for him."

Sirius face darkened at the mention of the potions professor. "No. He could buy it, but he doesn't have the money and he refuses to let me pay for it. Moony was always very stubborn with that."

As horrible as Lupin's curse was, Harry could very well understand this refusal. After all, he knew how sensitive Ron was when it came to money. "But you'll stay with him, won't you?" he asked. "Or isn't it safe now, without…"

 _Dad._ He couldn't bring himself to say it out loud, but Sirius understood nonetheless.

"It is. I won't be able to stop him, but it's not like he's planning on roaming the countryside. If I lock myself in with him, I'll be able to calm him enough so he won't attack himself, or me. But I can't just leave you on your own for the night."

Harry gasped. "What!? So you'd rather have him bite himself instead of me spending a few hours alone?"

"Not a few hours, a whole night," Sirius corrected. "We got a duty of care; you're not seventeen yet. So it's either this or sending you back to those muggles. Who might actually lock you up again, so I'm not having that."

"What if I stay with Ron?"

Sirius hesitated. "Maybe… But Remus won't want that, he doesn't like making a fuss over himself. He'd be terribly embarrassed."

Harry frowned. "So you'd rather have him stay on his own?" He didn't even wait for Sirius answer, but stood to grab ink and parchment. "I'm writing Ron. We can just tell Remus Mrs Weasley invited me over."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "He's not gonna fall for that."

"But he can't keep me from going, can he? Otherwise the ministry will show up again 'cos he's keeping me here against my will."

At this, Sirius grinned, pride shining in his eyes. "You certainly are your father's son, Harry."

* * *

 **So did you like Tonks? (not gonna ask about Dawlish)**


	5. The Weasleys and the Werewolf

**Thanks for those reviews! :)**

 **Maya Poltergeist: He did, actually, leaving it out was voluntarily in case Sirius would recognize the name and make a fuss. (Think I'll mention that in one of the next chapters)**

 **CaseLC: Me too. But reading it over, I found it a little bit too cliche, so I decided to have Sirius take the piss ;)**

* * *

 **The Weasleys and the Werewolf**

It was early afternoon when Harry set foot into the slightly wonky looking fireplace, nervously grabbing a hand of floo powder. The last time he had travelled this way he had mistakenly landed in Knockturn Alley, and even if the journey hadn't had ended in a shop full of dark and creepy objects, he wouldn't exactly count it among his most pleasurable experiences.

"Say hi to Ron for me, will you?" Sirius said from where he was standing behind him. "We'll come and pick you up tomorrow afternoon, maybe a bit later depending on how he feels."

 _He_ , Lupin, was currently lying in his bed, which he had only left once this morning to cook breakfast, only to immediately be sent back to bed by Sirius who had taken over that duty.

"I can come back on my own," Harry protested. "Can't you just send me a Patronus to tell me when it's safe? There's no need for him to drag himself out of bed right after!"

Sirius smiled at him. "That's what I've been telling him, but he insists. He feels guilty enough as it is to just dump you off to the Weasleys like this." Harry opened his mouth to protest again, but his godfather just shook his head, a resigned look on his face. "Save your breath. Your Dad and I tried to talk some sense into him for the best part of our lives, but werewolves are terribly stubborn. He'll come around at some point. Now go and have a good time, I'll see you tomorrow."

Just as Harry disappeared in the emerald flames, he heard a shouted: "Bring me a shrunken head from Borgin and Burkes," which meant he was still laughing as he flew out of the Weasley's fireplace, failed to retain his balance and crashed into the ground, face colliding painfully with the kitchen floor.

Cursing, he came to his feet again, just as a tall boy appeared in the doorway. "Very elegant," he commented, grinning at Harry.

Harry snorted. "Thanks. Good to see you too, Ron."

" _Ron!_ " Mrs Weasly hurried over from the stove, drawing Harry into a tight embrace. "How are you, Harry dear? Did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine, Mrs Weasley, thanks," Harry said, grateful yet slightly embarrassed. "And thanks for having me."

"Oh, any day. Sit down, dear. Would you like a cup of tea? Sandwiches, maybe?"

Harry, who could still taste Sirius' burnt attempts at sausages from breakfast, nodded eagerly. "That'd be great, thanks."

Ron sat down next to him, still grinning. "So how is it, then? Living with Si- with Professor Lupin?"

Harry felt a broad smile spread over his face. "It's great! I mean, after the Dursley's living in the Shrieking Shack would probably be a step up, but he's got a really cool house. It's in the middle of the forest, and the closest muggles live a mile away so you can play Quidditch all the time. Thanks." He accepted the steaming mug of tea that Mrs Weasley had brought over.

"In a forest?" she asked, still smiling but now with a distinctly alarmed look on her face.

Harry decided to ignore that. "Yeah", he nodded. "It's really nice. I go there with Snuffles all the time. Lupin says there's Pixies in there but I haven't seen any yet." Mrs Weasley seemed less than convinced, but she said nothing and instead went back to preparing sandwiches.

"Did you get into trouble because of Percy?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged. He still felt angry thinking back on the encounter from the day before. "There were two Aurors yesterday," he said, "Apparently they thought he had kidnapped me or something. Asking all sorts of stupid questions, and actually accused him of being a Voldemort supporter. I was surprised he didn't hex them, to be honest."

"Kidnap you? Why would he do that?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Because he's a werewolf, and the ministry are a bunch of prejudiced dickheads with flubberworms for brains." That characterization was actually stolen from Sirius, but Harry agreed wholeheartedly, especially after he had learned just _how_ restrictive werewolf laws were.

Ron laughed nervously, and Harry suddenly realized he'd inadvertently called Mr Weasley a dickhead.

 _Shit._

"I mean, I didn't – your dad isn't, obviously." He stumbled hastily, blood rushing to his face. "Or Percy. I'm…I'm sorry."

"That's alright, dear," Mrs Weasley said as she deposited a plate with sandwiches in front of Harry, obviously having caught his rant as well. Harry felt the sudden urge to be anywhere but here.

"Mrs Weasley, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it like that; I don't even know most of the ministry. There's just a lot of unfair laws against werewolves."

"Well, werewolves are dangerous, Harry. Those laws are to protect you," Mrs Weasley said in tone that was worried and condescending at once.

"They're only dangerous on full moons!" Harry protested, "And it's not like they enjoy their transformation; they get really ill. He could barely get out of bed today!"

"Ill?" Mrs Weasley repeated, and for a moment her motherly concern for all things weak and vulnerable seemed to drown out the fear.

Harry, sensing a chance to break up her picture of Lupin as a blood-thirsty monster, quickly nodded. "Yes. He gets really tired and weak, like he got the flu or something."

"He was always missing for days, wasn't he?" Ron chimed in. "Not just the day of the full moon. He must have been resting."

"Oh," Mrs Weasley said, hesitating for a moment. Then a loud bang came from somewhere above them, and she sprang back into action. "Oh, those-"

Harry stared after her as she stormed off towards the stairs. "I'm sorry," he said again.

Ron merely shrugged. "It's okay. She just has a few problems accepting that not _all_ werewolves are actually monsters. Anyway, what's it really like? With Sirius?" He lowered his voice, and Harry did the same, casting an anxious look around to make sure there weren't any Weasleys present to hear them.

"It's fun. I mean, it's a bit stressful, 'cos we have to be so careful. He can only go out as a dog, and Lupin has the whole property warded off so we get warned of visitors. Also, don't try to floo there unannounced; he's got the fireplace hexed, too. But other than that, it's great. They know so many cool stories, and…" He drifted off, struggling to explain. "They just feel like a family, you know?"

Before Ron could answer, the door opened again, and in came Fred and George, followed by a distinctly disgruntled-looking Mrs Weasley. "Hey, Harry! Glad to see the monster didn't eat you."

"Or corrupt you."

"Hold on, we don't know that yet. Anybody got some silver?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at that. It was one thing knowing Ron didn't mistrust Lupin – after all he was one of the few people who knew the whole truth – but hearing Fred and George make jokes about something they obviously thought ridiculous was a completely different matter.

"Not corrupted, sorry. He made me do my homework, though," he grinned.

"Merlin's balls! I'd rather take the bite...Toffee, Harry?"

Fred held out a plump sweet wrapped in silver foil, but before Harry could so much as move Ron pushed his brother's arm away and shook his head. "I'd not try that. They've come up with some really vile stuff; Percy's ears were the size of bludgers before he managed to revert it."

"Spoilsport.", George complained, hastily pocketing the sweet when Mrs Weasley came over to them.

"Up for some Quidditch, Harry? You can borrow Charlie's old broom, it's sort of crap but it'll hold."

"Oi, that's mine! He can have Bill's!" Ron complained.

"Can I play, too?" Ginny had appeared in the kitchen. Upon seeing Harry, she froze, face reddening slightly when he smiled at her in greeting.

"No you can't." Fred decided, waving her away.

"Not enough brooms," Ron explained to Harry as he followed the twins outside. Harry hesitated.

"Can't we take turns? Or I could go back and fetch mine…" The sun was nearing the horizon by now and he was pretty sure Lupin would be outraged should he come back, but he felt terribly guilty for taking Ginny's place.

Ron merely shrugged. "Nah, she's used to it. We never let her play. Mum would make a giant fuss, and we'd only be allowed to fly four feet above the ground."

Still not convinced Harry looked back towards the kitchen, but Ginny had disappeared back upstairs. He wondered if it was always like this for her, being excluded despite a home full of people.

He quickly forgot those worries when he was up in the air again. George hadn't lied – the spare brooms were everything but excellent; Ron's was constantly losing height and Harry's had a terrible tendency for sudden lurches left or right, which nearly sent him crashing into the house or some hedges several times. Still, it felt brilliant playing proper Quidditch (or as proper as two on two could be) again. Both Sirius and Lupin had flown around the garden with him a few times – the later rather reluctantly, the other one with far more enthusiasm than seemed healthy given the agitated hippogriff snapping at their heels – but neither of them had ever really played Quidditch, and it was fairly obvious they felt far more comfortable on the ground.

By the time Mrs Weasley called them inside for dinner it had been so dark they could barely see the apples they had used as balls, and the silvery moon had risen behind the hedges. Harry had to suppress a shudder as he looked up to it, vividly remembering the last time he had seen it, and wondering how Lupin was doing. Was he in pain? Did he still recognize Padfoot after all these years? A sudden image of a bloodied dog lying dead came to his eyes, and he had to forcibly drive those thoughts away. Sirius would be fine. He knew what he was doing.

Dinner was a lively affair, as always in a house so full of people, and yet Harry didn't miss the quick glances some of the Weasleys sent him occasionally. Neither mentioned Lupin again, and he strongly suspected they had been warned of by Mrs Weasley after his outburst earlier.

Consequently he was rather glad when Ron suggested they go up to his room afterwards to play a game of wizard chess – Harry was thankful for his training with Sirius and Lupin now; he still lost but not quite as miserably as in the past – and chatting about their summer. Ron was still excited about the Quiddditch world cup, even though England had recently been knocked out by Transylvania (or massacred, as Ron put it), and for the first time in his wizarding life Harry didn't feel completely clueless, because he had actually listened to those games on Lupin's ancient radio (which had the unfortunate habit to spontaneously cease working and give off clouds of purple smoke, leading to several missed key moments and another rant by Sirius about penny-pinching werewolves when Lupin refused to replace it, even though at this point the home-made spell developed to coax it into working again took several minutes to cast).

"You'll come with us if Dad gets tickets, won't you?" Ron asked after he had slaughtered Harry's chess army a third time and was stacking the pieces away. "Or will you go with Lupin?"

For a moment Harry tried to picture Remus Lupin in a Quidditch stand, face painted and cheering loudly. He had to suppress a chuckle. "He's not really the sports guy, no. Sirius would probably go, but even if they'd allow dogs Lupin would never stand for it. He barely let him go into Diagon Alley. So if you'd take me, sure!"

At that, Ron seemed almost relieved, and his mood was considerably more cheerful as they got ready for bed.

* * *

Breakfast next morning was a lot more light-hearted affair than dinner, and Harry couldn't help but suspect this was because it was only the younger Weasleys, Percy and Mr Weasley having gone for work and Mrs Weasley being outside feeding the chicken.

"So can I come visit you then?" Ron asked as they were munching away on the huge platter of toast that his mother had left them.

Harry hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. Actually, Si-Lupin suggested I'd invite you all round for my birthday next week. If you want to come, of course." The last part he directed to the twins and Ginny, who all nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure, we want to see the werewolf lair!" Fred exclaimed.

"He won't make _us_ do homework though, will he?" George asked, only to be interrupted when Mrs Weasley came back inside.

"Homework? Since when do you care about that?"

"Can we go to Harry's birthday party, Mum?" Ginny piped up. "Professor Lupin invited us."

Harry winced at that. It was Sirius who had invited them all, and Lupin was anything but happy about that. For a moment he found himself almost glad about the full moon, hoping the werewolf would be too weak after his transformation to be truly angry.

Mrs Weasley frowned, obviously not sharing her children's enthusiasm. "I don't know…The poor man has got enough trouble as it is, hasn't he? No reason to trouble him even more. Why don't you come here instead, Harry?"

Harry had the distinct impression that her concern for Lupin, while possibly true to some extent, was little more than a pretext. He felt his irritation rise again. "He said it's fine. And it's still a week; he'll be perfectly healthy by then."

Before he could say anything else, there was the bustling of feathers, and two owls came flying through the open kitchen window, landing in front of the twins. Harry recognized the Hogwarts crest on the letters they were carrying the same time Fred and George did.

"Oh, _damn._ " Fred hastily snatched up his letter, pocketing it. "We'll be upstairs, then."

But before he could so much as move, Mrs Weasley had planted himself firmly between her sons and the stairs. "Are those your OWL results? I want to see them."

"Ever heard of secrecy of the letter, Mum?" George tried half-heartedly, but made no further attempt to escape.

"Let's get out of here, this will get messy," Ron suggested, grabbing one last muffin and hastily heading towards the back door.

"Fred told me he drew a picture of a shampoo bottle on his potions exam", he explained when they were sitting in the garden, just as muffled screams erupted from behind them, sounding a bit what Harry imagined a banshee might sound like. "Apparently they didn't put much more effort into the rest of them."

"What happens if you don't pass any OWLs at all?" Harry asked. He only knew those were important exams at the end of his fifth year, but until now he had never given them much thought. Most of his time at school he'd spent worrying about how not get killed or eaten by Death Eaters, giant spiders or a basilisk.

"I don't know," Ron shrugged. "I think you can either go back into fifth year or leave. There's some jobs you don't need OWLs for."

"Like opening a joke shop," Ginny, who had followed them, pointed out.

"A joke shop?"

Ron nodded. "That's what George said they were planning to do, anyway. But don't tell Mum, she might actually kill them for that one."

There was a loud bang behind them that had the windows rattling and sent a garden gnome who'd been lurking out from behind a garden chair scurrying for safety.

"Sounds like she _did_ find out," Ron muttered, getting to his feet. "Anybody up for a game of Exploding Snap? We can play at the back of the garden; her hexes shouldn't fly that far."

A singed eyebrow and several burnt fingers later they ventured back into the now quiet house, hungry and looking for lunch. Fred and George were nowhere to be seen, probably having fled to the safety of their rooms, but Mrs Weasley still looked rather annoyed.

" _Three_ ", she was angrily muttering to herself. " _Three_ OWLs."

Harry caught a glimpse of the discarded exam results on the table. "What do those letters mean?" he asked curiously.

"That's the grades." Ron snatched up the piece of parchments, and let out of los whistle. "Wow. That's a lot of T's..Troll, that's the worst grade," he added when Harry shot him a confused look. Then he laughed. "Look, Fred managed to make his spell 'TOAD'"

Mrs Weasley heard him. " _Ron Weasley_!" she started, obviously not done screaming for the day, and Ron's face rapidly paled.

But he was saved when a loud bang rang out from the yard, and tall figure appeared out of nowhere in front of the Weasley's gate. Her son's crimes immediately forgotten, Mrs Weasley straightened up, now just as pale as Ron was. "That's him!"

"Thank Merlin for his timing," Ron muttered relieved, but Harry was already on his feet and halfway out of the door. Lupin looked distinctly ill, stumbling a little and holding on to Padfoot's scruff in order not to topple over.

"Professor Lupin!" Harry called, running over to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Harry," he said, but his smile seemed terribly strained. "Just a bit tired. And didn't I tell you to call me Remus?"

Before Harry could answer, Ron appeared behind him, closely followed by Mrs Weasley and Ginny. "Morning, Professor Lupin!" Ron called cheerfully, grinning at the dog. "Hey, Snuffles." Sirius barked at him, grinning in a very un-dog-like fashion.

"Hello Ron, Ginny," Lupin said, straightening somewhat before turning to the red-haired woman. "Remus Lupin," he introduced himself quite unnecessarily, "You must be Mrs Weasley. Thank you very much for having Harry, I hope it was not too much trouble."

For a moment, Mrs Weasley seemed frozen, as if shocked by so much mild-mannered politeness. Harry got the feeling she had expected some animalistic, unkempt figure, despite everything her children had told her about Lupin. But to her credit, she didn't hesitate long, shaking the hand he offered her and smiling. "Oh, no trouble at all. We enjoy having him here. Would you like to come in? I was just about to serve lunch."

Now it was Lupin who looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Harry could see that he was desperately trying to find some form of excuse. "I don't want to intrude…"

"Oh, nonsense! You look like you're in no shape to travel!"

"Better give in, Professor," Ron told him quietly, "She can't be reasoned with in this state."

And so Lupin followed them hesitantly into the Burrow, Padfoot leaping ahead happily, chasing after a gnome and wagging his tail at the chickens, who only looked mildly alarmed. Harry suspected living with the twins they were used to a lot worse.

"Professor Lupin!" Fred and George had returned to the kitchen, obviously deeming it safe now that a visitor was here. "Great to see you!"

"Cool dog!"

"Snuffles, _stay_."

Sirius, obviously intend on getting a closer look at the boys responsible for retrieving the map from Filch (or "carriers of the Marauder legacy", as he had put it when Harry had told him where he had gotten the map from), had tried to jump up and lick George's face, missing only when the Weasley practically leapt into his brother. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have brought him." Lupin sighed, trying to yank Padfoot back by the scruff but nearly crashing to the ground when his strength left him.

Harry hastily stepped forward to catch him, helping the werewolf into a chair. He was shocked how weak Lupin really was. "I could have come home on my own," he muttered, but Lupin waved his words away, an irritated expression coming to his face.

"I told you, it's fine."

"Harry told us it you suffer a lot, but if I had known it was this bad, I'd have brought him over myself!" Mrs Weasley said, levitating a platter of sandwiches, a jug of pumpkin juice and several mugs of tea to the table. Her horror at having a werewolf in the house had obviously evaporated in favour of her mothering instinct for now.

"Honestly, it's no bother," Lupin said, voice a good deal sharper than Harry had ever heard him. He remembered how Sirius had warned him Lupin could get very irritated if people made a big fuss out of his condition, and with a guilty conscience realized he probably shouldn't have told the Weasleys how sick he got. It was, after all, something fairly private.

Anxious to get away from the sensitive topic, he started talking about Quidditch, and was relieved when Ron took up the hint and joined him in a (maybe too obviously) enthusiastic debate. Lupin barely spoke for the remainder of the lunch, nodding politely and answering when talked to, but otherwise staring into his tea as if he was willing the world around him to disappear. He only looked up when Harry spoke of his birthday again.

"I told them they could come."

Lupin's head rose sharply, and for a moment his eyes flickered to Padfoot, who had paused his wanderings around the kitchen to devour a bunch of sausages that had been left over from breakfast, and would probably buy Mrs Weasley his undying loyalty. "Yes, certainly," he finally said, managing to plaster the polite smile back onto his face, and added towards Mrs Weasley. "Only if that is alright with you, of course."

The Weasley-matron hesitated, obviously still deeply uncomfortable with the idea but unsure how to decline politely. Seemingly sensing her discomfort, Lupin added: "You and your husband would of course be welcome to join us as well. I believe Harry was also planning to invite Rubeus Hagrid, but apart from that it will be a rather small affair."

That seemed to weaken Mrs Weasley's resolve slightly. Harry doubted she was jumping with joy at the idea of entering a werewolf's house, but if the alternative was to send her kids there on her own this was clearly the better option. Especially since Lupin had invited Mr Weasley as well. "Well…if you're sure that's no trouble…I could bring a cake."

Lupin's smile broadened, though Harry had the distinct impression it was still far from sincere. "That would be lovely. I never quite got the hang of baking, and sticking candles into a shepherd's pie just isn't the same." He slowly got to his feet, knuckles whitening as they grabbed onto the table top but expression staying completely relaxed. "Now that is settled, I think we should be getting back. We have intruded on your hospitality quite enough."

Harry hastily followed. "Thanks for letting me stay, Mrs Weasley!" With that they went over to the fireplace, Padfoot barking at the Weasleys happily one last time before jumping into the emerald flames after Lupin had thrown in the floo powder.

"He can travel by floo?" Fred cried, awestruck. "What kind of super-dog is that?"

"A terribly annoying one," Lupin muttered, vanishing after his friend. Harry turned to wave to Ron and the others. "Bye, I'll owl you over about week!" before stepping into the flames himself.

Back at Birch Cottage he found Sirius had already transformed back, crouching on the sofa and grinning like a maniac. "You'll have the famous Weasley-cooking at your birthday! You lucky sod! Remember her treacle tarts, Moony? Fabian used to bring them to every meeting, and we fought over them like a bunch of savages."

Lupin seemed less amused, having collapsed on his favourite armchair and sitting with his eyes closed, exhaustion palpable on his face. "You'll be a dog; you won't get any of them. And if my memory serves correctly you were the only one acting like a savage."

Harry winced at the irritation in Lupin's voice. He had almost never seen the werewolf angry or annoyed, and now it was his fault.

"I'm sorry I told them you get ill around the full moon. I shouldn't have done that without your permission. But Mrs Weasley was acting so…well, you know. Like you were something to fear."

Lupin opened his eyes, his expression softening a little. "I _am_ something to fear, Harry." Raising his hand to stop Harry's protest he continued quickly: "I know a lot of the prejudice is over the top, but werewolves _are_ dangerous. I could have killed any of you that night."

"But it was an accident!" Harry exclaimed. "Lockhart tried to wipe Ron's and my memory, and she's still in love with _him_!"

Behind him, Sirius let out a bark of laughter. Harry had told him about the whole Lockhart thing almost a week ago, yet his godfather still cracked up every time it was mentioned (mostly by himself). "He's got a point, you know. If Molly Weasley is afraid to let her kids visit you, then she's a lot dumber than I thought. But she's not, and she'll get around as soon as she realizes you're about as far from being a dark wizard as Dumbledore is. And anyway, the official story is you saved them from me, isn't it? Mention that, do a bit of your stuck up politeness routine and next thing you know she'll be lapping from your hands."

Lupin threw his friend an irritated glare, but apparently felt no desire to continue the argument as he rose from his armchair with a low grown and slowly stumbled over to the stairs. "I'm going back to bed. I think there's some pea soup left in case you get hungry, Harry. But Sirius made it, so you might want to stick to toast."

"Oi! I got that recipe from Tom!"

Harry decided to have toast for dinner.

* * *

 **I hope those Weasleys could make up for the lack of Tonks (she'll be back next time!). I modelled the chapter on the one in GoF when Harry gets to the Burrow, with the difference that it's a few weeks earlier. So any parallels you found are totally intentional!**

 **Also, just in case it came across that way: this is NOT a Weasley bashing fic. While objectively stupid, I don't find Mrs Weasley's worry regarding Lupin unjustified, given the way the wizarding world thinks and her lack of actual experience with werewolves. She will get around to him at some point, as we can celarly see her get a long with him in OotP. (I just felt the need to point this out, since there are a lot of bashing fics and** **I personally dislike the concept.** **)**

 **See you on Friday (proably), and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	6. A Leaky Interrogation

**As promised, some more Tonks today :)**

 **Guest: That's actually a great plot idea! Shame I didn't think of that... She'll find a much clever way in my story, I'm afraid.**

* * *

 **A Leaky Interrogation**

He was sitting in a corner, barely visible in the shadows, reading a book and apparently oblivious to the world around him. Tonks had only meant to cross the Leaky Cauldron on her way to Diagon Alley, but when she caught sight of the sunken figure she stopped, and promptly changed her direction.

She had already changed out of her Auror robes, and paused only to morph her pink hair brown, changing her eyes and facial features a little to make sure he wouldn't recognize her. Despite his apparent engrossment into his book, Lupin didn't blink when she appeared beside him, and asked if she could join him. In fact, he didn't even bother lifting his gaze when he answered.

"Certainly, feel free."

Tonks sat down somewhat bewildered, wondering what her next step should be. She had hoped to start a light-hearted conversation, but he seemed to find his book – _An anthology of Eighteenth century Charms_ – far more captivating. Apparently she had to try a bit harder.

"Interesting title," she lied. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Again, Lupin didn't look up. "No, I'm just browsing. I bought it for a friend, actually, but it seemed a waste to give it away without even looking at it once."

"Is he a historian?" Tonks wondered, thinking that Lupin must be very odd indeed if he thought a book like that interesting.

His eyes never even stopped moving across the page. "No."

 _Damn he's stubborn._

She caught sight of a waiter, and ordered a hot chocolate to buy herself some time to figure out how to get Lupin to talk. But as it turned out, that wasn't necessary, for as soon as the mug had been deposited in front of her, he spoke on his own accord.

"So tell me, did Dawlish send you here to interrogate me or are you trying to earn some personal glory?" His tone was conversational, and his eyes still hadn't left his book, but his words left Tonks staring at him as if he had just hexed her.

"How...How did you know it was me?"

Finally he looked up, a pitying smile on his lips. "Well, for starters, I'm not exactly the sort of person beautiful young women just talk to in a pub." There was something unsettling in his blue gaze, and Tonks struggled not to blush when she realized he had just called her beautiful. "And secondly, the way you move. I must admit, it's an impressive alteration spell you've cast, but your posture's still the same."

If possible, Tonks felt even more uncomfortable now. He had only met her once, and for most of that time she had been sitting down. How closely must he have been watching to notice something like that? Even her own mother didn't always recognize her.

Lupin seemed to sense her discomfort, for he hastily added: "It's an old habit, I'm afraid. My friends at school were very apt at transfiguration spells, and had a fondness for practical jokes. Not a good mixture, but it made for good training. And it never hurts to watch your enemies closely."

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Enemy?"

Lupin smiled at her unapologetically. "You were in my house, accusing me of dark magic and threatening a boy I hold very dear. Forgive me, but I don't usually call people who do that my friends." He lowered his gaze back to his book. Tonks didn't know what to say to that, so she took a large sip of her hot chocolate, promptly burning her tongue.

"I'm not here to spy on you," she finally said, watching him closely. "I just saw you and thought I'd come over for a chat."

"And yet you took the time to disguise yourself."

Tonks blushed, but Lupin didn't seem to take offence with her obvious lie. Maybe he was simply expecting to be treated this way. Somehow that thought made her angry.

"Dawlish was a dick last week. He had no right to accuse you like that."

Lupin looked up, or the first time seeming genuinely surprised, but he quickly returned to the polite smile that seemed to be his mask in front of the world. "He shouldn't have drawn his wand on Harry, no," he agreed slowly, taking a sip of his tea and then smiling at her once more and finally closing his book, leaning back in his chair. "Go ahead, then. Interrogate away."

Tonks hesitated, not sure what to make of this. In the end, she decided to simply take him up on his offer. "Is it true that you were friends with Sirius Black?" she blurted out, wincing at the same time when she realized this made it sound a lot like she was accusing him again.

But Lupin merely looked at her curiously. "You're his cousin, aren't you? Andromeda's daughter."

Tonks stared at him. "You-how?" First the appearance thing, then this – was this guy a legilimens or something?

Lupin let out a low chuckle. "I take that as a yes. I knew your name sounded familiar, I just wasn't certain last week. But it does explain that impressive transformation. Nymphadora, wasn't it?"

"Just Tonks," she corrected automatically, before giving him a closer look. How did he know her name? And that she was a Metamorphagus?

„Are you…are you a friend of my parents'?" she asked tentatively. They never mentioned a Remus Lupin, but maybe he knew them from school? Surely he couldn't be _that_ old?

Lupin shook his head. "Not really. I met them a few times back when I was at school and they were still living in Hogsmeade. Sirius would take us on visits occasionally. I doubt you'd remember, though, you can't have been more than three or four years old at the time."

Tonks was silent for a moment, taking in this new information. She knew her parents had left Hogsmeade to go into hiding when the war broke out in earnest, but her mother never mentioned Sirius, or any member of her estranged family. So she had actually met Lupin before? She didn't know what to make of that, so instead she just went back to her original point.

"So you did know him?"

"Sirius? Yes. He was one of my closest friends, in fact. We fought in the war together, until…well, you know the story."

"You fought against Death Eaters? Were you an Auror?"

At this, Lupin actually laughed. "A werewolf Auror? That would be a first..." He shook his head, and added, more to himself as it seemed: "The ministry weren't the only ones fighting Voldemort."

"What did you do, then? Who did you fight with?" Tonks completely forgot her original aim, far too engrossed with the possibility to hear more about the war she could barely remember, and only knew from case studies during Auror training. That, and the gruff warnings of Mad-Eye Moody about how kids these days had no clue what real duels were.

But Lupin merely smiled again, a diversion tactic she was rapidly growing to find very infuriating indeed. "You're not here because of a history lesson, are you? You're here to find out whether I'm planning anything sinister with Harry, and whether I'm hiding Sirius Black in my wardrobe."

"And are you?" Tonks shot back, determined to crack his calm facade at least a little bit.

"Hiding Sirius Black in my wardrobe?" Lupin chuckled. "Certainly not; he'd never consent to that. Being cramped up like that does terrible things to your hair."

Tonks blinked. Was he taking the piss? It seemed that way, yet she could hardly blame him. After all it had been her who'd showed up in disguise, trying to pry information from him. But she refused to give up that easily.

Although a different strategy might be in order. "You taught at Hogwarts, didn't you?"

Lupin looked at her disbelievingly, before settling on a dry: "I see you've been reading the papers."

Tonks felt the blood rush to her cheeks again. What an idiotic question; you'd have to be living under a rock not to have heard about Remus Lupin, the werewolf professor. But she quickly continued. "Did you really have a boggart turn into Snape in drag?"

That got her another surprised look. "I wasn't aware my lessons were quite that public."

She grinned. "Kingsley – a colleague – he's got a niece who's a fifth year at Hogwarts, and she told him. The whole office had a laugh at that one. So is it true?"

Lupin shot her a weary look. "I'm afraid I don't know what version you've heard. Boggarts are taught in third year, not fifth. But yes, there was a Snape-boggart, and yes, he might have been wearing a dress at one point."

"Wicked! I wish you'd have been there when I was at school. All our defence teachers were kind of rubbish."

Lupin seemed a tad embarrassed. "They can't have been that bad," he offered, smiling. "After all you became an Auror."

Now it was her turn to blush. "Mad-Eye certainly thought so," she muttered.

To her surprise, Lupin's face lit up at that. "Mad-Eye? Alastor Moody? He's still at the Auror office?"

Tonks gasped. "You know Mad-Eye, too?" Did this man know every wizard in existence personally?

"Not under that name, no. The last time I saw him, he still had both his eyes. But from what I've heard he's found a very useful replacement." A reminiscent smile crept onto Lupin's face, and suddenly he seemed a good ten years younger. "Does he still do _constant vigilance_?" he asked after a moment and Tonks laughed, completely forgetting who was sitting in front of her.

"All the time! Used to drive me mental. He's retired now, actually. They practically had to drag him out of the office."

"I can imagine," Lupin grinned. "And I feel sorry for whoever had to tell him time was up."

Tonks nodded. "I was out that day, sadly. But Kingsley said he'd never seen Scrimgeour that nervous. Apparently Mad-Eye turned his desk into ash." She shook her head. "Shame he's gone, really. A lot more fun than pricks like Dawlish."

When she realized who she was talking to her eyes widened in alarm, and she hastily back paddled: "Uhm, I mean… Dawlish's very competent, of course."

Upon seeing the amused twinkling in Lupins eyes she buried her face in her hands. "Shit, I shouldn't be talking about my colleagues this way."

"I won't tell if you don't," Lupin offered, draining his mug. "Now, as pleasant as this interrogation has been, I'm afraid I will have to leave you. Unless you have found cause to arrest me, obviously."

Tonks blushed violently. "I'm really sorry", she blurted as he was putting on his travelling cloak. "It's just…I recognized you, and I…"

"You wanted to see if I was hiding something." Lupin finished for her, throwing her one last smile. "And I can hardly blame you; it's an Auror's job after all. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

He made to leave, and Tonks jumped to her feet. "It's – I really enjoyed talking to you!"

Lupin didn't turn around, and she wasn't sure he had even heard her. Maybe that was for the better – _I really enjoyed talking to you_ – what had gotten into her? She'd been trying to gather some intelligence, he'd seen through her like glass. The whole thing was embarrassing enough without her making it sound like they had been on a date or something.

As she was walking into Diagon Alley, the cold rain clearing her head somewhat, she realized that she still had no idea what it was Lupin was hiding. And despite the fiasco back in the pub, she was more determined than ever to find out what it was.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Sirius greeted him in the hallway, taking the shopping bags with birthday gifts from him and sending them upstairs in his room so that Harry wouldn't find them. "Did you buy him an entire library?"

Remus took off his soaked travelling cloak and put on the clothes rack. "Had a cup of tea at the Leaky," he explained, fishing the book he had been reading out of his pocket. "And I found this, thought I'd buy it for you."

Sirius took the battered volume, frowning at the title. " _An anthology of Eighteenth century Charms_ – gee, thanks Moony. Are you trying to bore me to death now-"

He stopped, looked at the cover again, and then a broad smile appeared on his face. " _The map!_ I can't believe I didn't recognize it…" He opened the book, flicking through it till he found the page titled _Track thy fiend_. "That's it!" he cried, staring at it with more enthusiasm than Remus had ever seen him give a book.

"What's what?" Harry appeared in the kitchen door, two mugs of tea in his hands.

"That's the book with the tracking spell we used on the map. Or the spell we modified for it, anyway," Remus explained. "I bought it for…sentimental value."

Suddenly he felt slightly embarrassed, but Harry's eyes lit up at once. "Really? Cool! Can I see it?"

Remus couldn't help but smile as he watched the other two disappearing into the living room, Sirius explaining as they went.

 _Sirius needs him as much as Harry needs Sirius._

Remus walked over to the kitchen, intent on finishing a letter to his mother before he'd have to start dinner. A look at the garden told him that Sirius had not, as promised, renewed the Disillusionment charm on Buckbeak, as he could clearly watch the hippogriff clawing at the drenched remainders of his lunch (rats, on Sirius' insistence). Remus sighed, drew his wand and once again ventured out into the pouring rain.

He bowed deep, and after a few gut-wrenching seconds Buckbeak lowered his own head, allowing him to approach. Reluctantly Remus stepped forward. Care of Magical Creatures had never been his strongest subject, and the animals never seemed to like him a lot, either. Remus had always suspected this was because they sensed the darkness in his blood, although James had told him to stop making excuses and just admit he sucked at the subject.

Whatever the truth was, Buckbeak hadn't warmed to him nearly as much as to Harry or Sirius, and he loathed the Disillusionment charms they regularly put on him. Given that Remus was the one who usually cast the charm, there might actually be a connection between those two facts…

Carefully Remus stretched out the wand, softly touching the hippogriff's head. A murmured word and undignified squeak later, the feathered beast had disappeared.

"Sorry. It's for your own, good, you know."

As he went back to the cottage Remus wondered of this was what life was going to be for Sirius and Buckbeak. The hippogriff they might send back to Hagrid in time – a year or two from now barely anybody would care – but Sirius…They both knew they had little chance of finding Peter again. He wouldn't repeat his mistake now they knew of his survival, and stay clear of the magical world. They would keep their eyes open, of course, and Dumbledore had promised to do what he could, yet the chances of actually finding him were slim. Would they still be here in five, ten, twenty years' time? Had Sirius escaped Azkaban just to live the rest of his life as a dog?

Laughter rang from the living room, and Remus decided to put the dark thoughts away for now. As he made himself another cup of tea his mind instead wandered to the strange encounter in the Leaky Cauldron.

He hadn't mentioned it to Sirius, just as he hadn't mentioned that the young Auror who had visited them last week was in fact his cousin. Remus wasn't sure why he kept silent.

Maybe it was because he didn't want to open another wound for Sirius. Growing up, Andromeda had been the only family member he actually liked, and later, when they had sneaked out of school to visit her and Ted he had come to view Nymphadora as a sort of surrogate little sister. He'd been heartbroken when they moved away, not telling anybody where they went for fear of Bellatrix finding them. Surely remembering that now, when Andromeda thought him a murderer just as the rest of the world did wouldn't make for a happy conversation.

Or at least that's what Remus kept telling himself. Deep down he suspected there might be another reason why he kept the meeting for himself.

 _You were flirting with her._ A voice popped up in his head.

 _I wasn't. I just had to distract her from finding out about Sirius._

The voice, which sounded suspiciously like the animagus in question, laughed. _Sure. She was flirting with you too, you know._

Remus snorted to himself _No she wasn't. And even if, she was just trying to get information._

 _She's hot._ Yep. Definitely Sirius.

 _She's over a decade younger than me! Now please shut up._

He hastily grabbed his tea and took out the half-finished letter to his mother, desperate to get those disturbing thoughts out of his head.

And even though he managed to ban Nymphadora Tonks from his thoughts for the rest of the evening, when he was lying awake in bed later he couldn't help but wonder if he was going to see her again. And, worryingly, found himself hoping that he would.

* * *

 **So what did you think of Tonks' interrogation techniques? More of them on Sunday (I think)**

 **Why not leave a review? ;)**


	7. A Teaching Position

**Thanks for all those lovely reviews! :)**

 **CaseLC: I'm fraid it will be a while until we meet either Moody or Andromeda. But for Andromeda, she really does think Sirius is guilty.**

 **Guest: There certainly will be! And as for what happens when she finds out...I _really_ liked writing that scene ;)**

 **Bit shorter chapter today, but we'll see some plot development, so maybe you can forgive me? ;)**

* * *

 **A Teaching Position**

In the days leading up to Harry's birthday, Remus found himself avoiding the cottage more and more. He left the house early, sometimes before Harry or Sirius came down for breakfast (which, in Sirius' case, didn't exactly say much), and apparating into London, spending his morning wandering along Diagon Alley.

Ostensibly, this was to try and find a job – any job – as the meagre savings from his last month at Hogwarts were slowly but surely running out, and while Sirius insisted to pay for food even when Harry would return to Hogwarts, Remus had to have at least _some_ money to pay for other expenses. Like new shoes, for example, as the ones he was currently wearing were well and truly past any _reparo_ , at this point held together by nothing but string and hope.

That's the reason he gave Sirius anyway. But he knew as well as his friend (who'd of course kept quiet about that) that his hopes of actually finding any sort of employment in the wizarding world were pretty much zero, in no small part thanks to the fact his face was still plastered over some newspapers, and Rita Skeeter's ' _Bloodthirsty Monster let loose on our children'_ story was still fresh in everybody's mind.

He knew it would be more sensible to start looking in the muggle world, even though he knew from experience how tedious and fraught with disaster that could be. His mother being a muggle he didn't struggle as much as other wizards did to blend in, but charming the right papers and documents was a difficult (and not completely legal) affair, that could easily end with a hearing in front of the muggle liaison committee.

Not that it couldn't be done, of course; in fact Remus had had almost as many muggle jobs as he had wizarding ones during his patchy career path. As long as he didn't go for anything high-profile or government-sponsored it could easily be done. No, what had him coming back to Diagon Alley (and occasionally Knockturn Alley if he felt particularly desperate) every morning wasn't the hope of finding a job, or even the desire to get away from Harry and Sirius planning for their party (even though that was what he told himself).

It was the hot chocolate he allowed himself at the Leaky Cauldron every day before going home for lunch, and the vague image of a pink-haired auror coming through the door. He never admitted this to himself of course, but while he was sipping his chocolate and reading whatever book he had brought with him that day, he couldn't help but look towards the doors every so often, and feeling a distinct pang of disappointment when he had drained his mug without so much as a glimpse of her.

It was the fifth day of his vigil, the Friday before Harry's birthday, when his patience finally paid off. He had already given up on seeing her this week, saving the last draught of his mug only out of the reluctance to go home and being handed a bunch of lanterns to charm so they would spell _Harry Rules_ into the night sky once lit whilst playing the Hogwarts hymn. (Sirius, claiming that they had twelve years of Marauder parties to make up for, was possibly getting a bit ahead of himself with the whole preparations, especially as Remus would have to be the one taking credit for all of it. He already dreaded having to explain to Mrs Weasley exactly why he thought charming the leaves on all the trees around his garden red and gold was an appropriate idea.)

Remus barely noticed her coming in, and had it not been for another figure in scarlet robes walking next to her he might not even have recognized her. Her hair was dark blue today, slightly curly and reaching her shoulders. She had her auror robes draped over one arm, wearing a ripped jeans and a lose-fitting shirt with some indiscernible slogan on it. Next to her broad-shouldered colleague she looked even younger than before, barely old enough to use magic outside school.

Remus felt his heartbeat accelerate, despite his insistence to himself that he had _not_ been waiting for her, hoping to see her again. What was he supposed to do, anyway?

He simply watched, frozen, as she was saying something to the Auror beside her, who threw his head back in a roar of laughter, before shaking his head. "You're mad, Tonks," he said, his deep voice booming through the pub so Remus could easily make out every word. "Scrimgeour will have your head for this."

Tonks merely stuck out her tongue to him, muttering something Remus didn't hear before waving him good-bye. The auror left towards Diagon Alley, while Tonks stayed at the bar, waving for Tom.

While she was waiting for her drink, she was looking around the crowded Pub, eyes scanning the crowd, until – Remus nearly dropped his book when her gaze found him, still staring at her. For a moment their eyes locked (He noticed hers were grey like Sirius' toady), before he hastily lowered his head and hid behind the book he had been reading, furiously fighting the blush on his cheeks.

 _Way to not appear creepy and/or suspicious._

He half hoped she hadn't recognized him – he'd chosen the corner furthest from the fire after all, and the rainy weather outside meant the room was filled with steam from drying robes or umbrellas. And at lunch time the Leaky Cauldron was filled with people like him, shabbily dressed and looking for a cheap meal. He didn't have the most memorable face, and after a-

"Wow, déjà vu." A cheerful voice shattered his hopes, followed by the unmistakable sound of a chair being scraped back. "Do you spend all your time reading in here?"

Remus swallowed, regaining his composure so far that he dared looking up. His fears had come true, as Tonks was grinning at him over the brim of her mug, a curious look on her face. He forced himself to smile.

"Only when I'm not reading at home," he answered with a cautious half-grin, wondering if she could possibly hear his hammering heart.

Tonks laughed. "Not what people expect from a werewolf, is it? I'd have thought you're more…dunno, feral."

Remus smile faltered somewhat, but Tonks eyes widened when she realized what she had said. "Shit! I mean…I didn't mean to say…I just…you seem more the bookish kind. And…I mean, of course werewolves are just people, and…I didn't mean to insult you."

Her face was deep red now, obviously mortally embarrassed with what she had said. "I always do that," she said, hanging her head. "No wonder I'm always falling over; I've got both feet in my mouth most of the time."

Remus found himself frowning, surprised she seemed actually worried about having hurt his feelings. Few people gave a damn about being rude once they knew he was a werewolf.

He realized he was still staring at her, and hastily cleared his throat. "It's fine," he reassured her. "Most people expect us to live in caves. Some of us do, actually."

Tonks looked at him, cocking her head as she seemed to study him. "Well, that's stupid," she finally came to a conclusion. "I mean, wizards like Mundungus Fletcher live in the gutter, and we don't judge all of wizardkind on his example, do we?"

Lupin decided not to tell her he actually was well acquainted with Mundungus, far too struck by what she was saying anyway. "That's…an unusual opinion," he said after a while, realizing he had been staring again. "Wizards aren't generally dangerous, though. Werewolves are."

Tonks shrugged. "Well, you're not dangerous. I mean, you're reading-" She squinted at his book, "Ancient Runes in your free time, for Merlin's sake! Florian Fortescue looks more threatening than you do!"

Remus, still taken aback by her sudden outburst of werewolf-rights-activism, couldn't help but chuckle. "Sorry.", he said when she shot him a surprised and somewhat hurt look. "Flattering as all that sounds, that's actually Cyrillic, not Runes." He pointed at the letters on the title. "Russian," he explained when she still looked confused. "It's a book on the magical fauna of Siberia."

Tonks flinched, blushing again. "Oh," she muttered, taking an embarrassed sip of her coffee. Then her face suddenly lit up. "You speak Russian?"

Remus nodded cautiously, confused by her sudden enthusiasm. "Some, yes. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but it's enough to get me by. I spent a few years in Eastern Europe after the war."

 _Drinking myself into a stupor trying to kill the memories with alcohol._ , he added silently, deciding not to divulge that bit of trivia.

"Cool!" Tonks exclaimed, and the tips of her hair seemed to actually brighten a shade or two. "Can you teach me?"

For a moment, Remus thought he'd misheard her. "T-Teach you?" he finally repeated when he came to the conclusion that yes, that was actually what she had said. "Why?"

At that, a trace of pink crept back into her face. "Oh, no reason in particular," she shrugged, not meeting his eyes and instead cradling her half-empty mug. "I just thought it's a cool thing to know more than one language. They offered a course on Gobbledegook in my seventh year, but the guy who was teaching it was either drunk or had been hit with a stinging jinx to the tongue. I gave up after the first week."

Remus, having never visited that course but tried to teach himself after school, couldn't help but grin slightly. "I think that's just what it sounds like," he commented, before shaking his head and getting back to the original topic. "What I meant was, why me? Doesn't the ministry offer courses?"

Again Tonks didn't look at him, cursing instead when she nearly dropped her mug, pouring hot coffee over her hands. "The guys from international affairs are kind of snobby about those," she muttered, hastily cleaning away the mess with her wand only to accidentally burn a hole in the table.

" _Shit_."

She moved her mug to cover the burnt spot, throwing a worried glance over her shoulder at Tom. Blushing, she turned back to him. "I just thought it would be nicer with a private lesson. The kids that sit in those courses are a bunch of boring, ambitious little pricks who think superiors are there to be worshipped and that making coffee is an honour."

Remus, remembering Percy Weasley, couldn't help but secretly agree. "And you're the only person I know who speaks Russian," Tonks finished, grinning at him. "I'd pay you, of course!"

Remus didn't answer immediately, still struggling to comprehend what was happening. He didn't believe her for one moment, of course. Barely any wizard bothered with learning a foreign language just for the fun of it, and she certainly didn't seem the type. His only explanation for this unexpected question was that she still mistrusted him, and was looking for another way to spy on him.

He had to admire her quick thinking with the book, and the way he had immediately spun a story out of it – Moody had obviously trained her well. Was this still her own initiative or had Dawlish put her up to this? It didn't matter really; his answer should be clear.

"You don't have to pay me. I'm not exactly short on time."

His mouth appeared to be moving on its own accord, and the words coming out weren't those he had planned.

 _What the hell, Moony?_

Tonks beamed at him. "So you'll do it? Thanks! When can we start? I've got a shift tonight, but I'm free tomorrow."

Wondering what on earth he had gotten into with this, Remus said weakly: "Actually, this weekend isn't great."

 _The whole thing is not a good idea, sorry. I have Harry to take care of._ There, perfect excuse. All he had to do was…

"What about Monday night?"

Not that.

"Sure!" Tonks grinned. "Your place or mine?"

 _This isn't really happening._

"Uhm…yours would probably be better, if that's alright," Remus managed to say, even though his mouth felt like ash. Neither Harry nor Sirius would thank him if he brought an Auror over for a whole evening.

"Sure thing! I get off at six, so shall we say seven? Here's my address." And with that she fished a tattered looking notebook from her bag, ripping out a page and scrawling something on it. "See you on Monday!" With that she was off, leaving a half-drunken mug of coffee and a very confused werewolf.

While he was gathering up his book, staring at the scrap of parchment in front of him (it had a London address not too far from here on it and half of a drawing that looked a bit like a badger violently plucking an eagle) Remus wondered what on earth he was going to tell Sirius.

 _Hey, I met your cousin today. And now I'm teaching her Russian._

Actually, that might work. Sirius would just think he was drunk.

Which, walking slowly towards the door, he was starting to believe as well.


	8. A Happy Birthday

**Skybox: You're totally right about Veritaserum and the other methods. They never considered it in the books - for reasons unexplained, sadly - so they won't be an option here.**

 **Alicia Olivia Mirza: Good point about Bill and Fleur, totally overlooked that parallel! XD**

 **Guest: Yeah, that deal should work :D**

 **Bit of a shorter chapter today, I'm afraid, but plenty of fluff.**

* * *

 **A Happy Birthday**

On Sunday the 31st of July Harry woke early. Not because he wasn't tired, or because he had forgotten to close the blinds the night before, but because he was hit in the head with something small yet surprisingly hard.

"Ouch!" With a jolt he sat up, holding his forehead where he was sure a bump would soon form, and squinted through the dark room at the offending object. It seemed to be something small and golden that was flying through his room, beginning another attack while he was still fumbling for his glasses.

He ducked when it soared directly at his head, instinctively stretching out his hand and catching it with the practiced reflex of a Seeker. Only when he felt the tiny wings slapping against his fingers Harry realized that it _was_ in fact a snitch. A snitch which promptly yelled at him in a very familiar voice.

"Rise and shine birthday boy! Or the dog will eat your breakfast!"

Harry nearly dropped the golden ball in shock, before bursting into laughter.

He'd often been woken up early on his birthday, but usually it was to tell him to cook breakfast for the Dursleys, and the fact he was a year older was never so much as mentioned. He had a feeling that this year things would look a great deal more cheerful.

When he came downstairs fifteen minutes later, snitch still in his hand (he had tried putting it down to shower and get dressed, but it had immediately started to attack him again so that in the end he had been forced to trap it under _The Standard Book of Spells, Volume 3_ until he was done) he wasn't disappointed. Sirius, determined to make up for twelve missed birthdays, had decked the whole kitchen in red and gold, going so far as to dye Hedwig's feathers, a fact about which the snowy owl was obviously deeply unhappy as she was sulking on the kitchen cupboard when he came in, clicking her beak at him reproachfully.

"Happy Birthday!" Sirius cried, rushing forward hugging Harry so tightly he was certain he heard a few ribs crack. "Ready for your presents? Moony made you a Marauder cake!"

Remus looked over from where he was filling eggs and bacon onto three plates. "Happy Birthday, Harry. I do apologize for Sirius, he always gets a bit overexcited on these occasions. He should calm down once he's had a bite to eat."

Harry merely grinned, unable to speak due to a suddenly overwhelming feeling of happiness. This must be how normal children felt on their birthday.

"Thanks.", Harry finally managed. "What's a Marauder cake?"

"It's the king of cakes," Sirius explained reverently. "The crowning confectionary, the most majestic of all muffins, the proudest of pastries, the pinnacle-"

"It's something we used to bake for each other's' birthdays at Hogwarts," Remus cut in, interrupting Sirius' litany, "The idea is that it consists of some special ingredient for each of us."

Sirius nodded. "Moony is obviously chocolate." He pointed towards the small cake on the table, which was covered in chocolate icing. "Prongs hated all of us and himself, so he put in Bertie Bott's beans – sorry about that, feel free to spit out the bogie ones – I was toffee, and Wormtail-" He made a face.

"Was expelled," Remus finished. "I put in some hazelnuts instead. Fits a lot better than liquorice anyway."

Sirius nodded darkly. "What kind of person likes liquorice anyway? Should have known there and then he was a traitorous little fu-"

"Breakfast, Harry?" Remus cut his friend off once more, and Harry hastily took his seat.

Talking about Peter Pettigrew wasn't how he wanted to spend his birthday at all. Instead he held out the snitch he was still carrying. "What is this, then? It keeps attacking me."

Sirius laughed, sending a piece of Toast flying from his mouth which Remus discretely vanished. "Sorry about that. Moony said I should let you sleep in, but I was getting really hungry. It's a practice snitch. Double-tip it with your wand to deactivate it."

He drew his own wand and reached over the table to demonstrate. Instantly the fluttering stopped, and when Harry put the ball down it stayed motionless. "It has a couple of settings; I didn't figure out all of them yet – these things have really involved since we were young. But it should generally work like a real one, without straying too far."

Harry's eyes grew. "Wow! Thanks!" He could barely wait to try it out, and it cost quite some effort not to jump up and grab his broom right now.

"You're really going all the way with that James-cloning, aren't you?" Remus said to Sirius, shaking his head but unable to keep the amusement from his face. "This is from me. I'm afraid it's not quite as fancy, but I thought you might find it useful."

He handed over a small, square packet. It was an small, leather-bound book, obviously second-hand but full of a variety of interesting looking spells, some of which seemed to be self-made. Harry looked up, smiling enthusiastically. "Thank you, Remus! This is great!"

He spent most of the morning in the back garden, chasing after his new snitch. It had taken him some time to figure out how to control it, but after some trial and error (and reading through the half-scarred manual that Remus had retrieved from the fireplace where Sirius had, somewhat optimistically, thrown it the night before) he got it to zoom around the clearing, much to Buckbeak's annoyance.

The hippogriff's mood didn't raise either when Sirius locked him in the derelict garden shed, throwing in a few wards and silencing charms for good measure. But seeing as the kitchen was far too small to host all the guests Harry had invited they were forced eat outside, and people would certainly notice an invisible beak stealing their cake.

"Oh, stop fussing," Sirius told the raging hippogriff when it snapped at him as he was closing the door. "I've got to spend the rest of the day as a dog, and you don't see me throwing a tantrum."

Half an hour later, he was throwing a tantrum.

"But _Moony!_ "

"No."

"Come on, it's _mine._ "

"It _was_ yours. You gave it to him, remember?"

"Yeah, 'cos I didn't need it then. I do now!"

"You're a bloody dog, what do you want with a motorcycle? And anyway, what do you expect me to say _? You know that bike you've had for thirteen years? The one that belonged to the murderous Sirius Black? Yeah, I want you to give it to me._ "

"Can't you say it's for Harry? Technically it's his, he's my heir."

"Firstly, you're not dead. Secondly, Lily would literally come back from the dead just to kill us if we let Harry so much as near that murder machine."

Hagrid had arrived on an enormous motorcycle, and as Harry had shown him his new snitch, Padfoot had practically dragged Remus by the trouser leg and into the house. Harry found them in the living room five minutes later, furiously arguing.

"Umm, Sirius? It's nearly three; Ron and the others should be here any minute."

"Oh, blast it.", Remus muttered angrily. "Back to dog, Padfoot. And no more whining because of that stupid bike, okay? You can get it yourself when you're pardoned."

"Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen," Sirius muttered darkly, before grinning at Harry. "Have a good birthday, then. And don't forget to leave me a bit of cake!" With that, he vanished and in his place appeared a giant dog, running off into the direction of the garden. (Probably to find a way and use those puppy eyes to con Hagrid out of his motorbike)

"Sorry about that," Remus sighed. "That thing meant a lot to him, he built it himself. Even named it, although I'm not sure what it's called anymore. Probably something like Galahad or Percival; we were always big on the Round Table back then…" He drifted off, obviously lost in memory, before returning to the present with a blink. "Sorry."

Harry gave him a short smile to show that he didn't mind hearing about his father's youth at all. "Actually, Hagrid gave me this.", he fished a letter out of his pocket. "He says it's from Dumbledore." Remus seemed surprised, but not happy.

"Oh," he said, pocketing the letter without so much as looking at it before giving Harry an obviously forced smile. "Well, I better get the drinks ready. You get back into the garden, Harry, enjoy yourself."

* * *

And enjoying himself he did. Mrs Weasley had come bearing a true mountain of treacle tarts (Harry made sure to discretely smuggle a few into the fridge for Sirius) and a cake so big he was amazed she had actually managed to fit it through the tiny fireplace.

She had been undeniably tense at first, throwing wary glances at her surroundings and never letting Ginny out of her eye, but after seeing Hagrid she visibly relaxed, having obviously decided that somebody this big would be protection enough should the werewolf decide to go on a rampage.

Ron, Fred and George had all brought their broomsticks, and so after tea they went for a game of Quidditch, taking turns in chasing Harry's new snitch while Padfoot was following them on the ground, enthusiastically snapping at their heels whenever one of them would venture too low.

After seeing how forlornly she sat between the grown-ups, Harry insisted they invite Ginny, too, and he was surprised to see she was actually not bad at all, flying a lot faster on Remus' ancient broom than Harry had ever thought possible. (Although given that the ex-professor wasn't the most adventurous flier, that might not have been completely Ginny's feat.)

For dinner, Remus had made Shepherd pie (Mrs Weasley had tried to help him which he had politely declined, something which seemed to have blown away her last doubts about him for she was considerably more open to him from then on), Harry's favourite, and as he listened to the conversation around him, laughing when Fred got Padfoot to perform half a summersault trying to reach a piece of cheese crust, and secretly grinning when Hagrid happily told Remus about Buckbeak's wondrous escape, Harry thought that except maybe for his eleventh, a birthday really couldn't get much better than this.

* * *

He was still smiling when he came back into the living room later, having stored his new possessions away in his room after all the guests had left. To his surprise, he found Remus deeply frowning at something in his hand, and it took him a moment to recognize the letter that Hagrid had given him earlier.

"Everything alright?" Sirius asked, strolling into the room after Harry, a glass of wine in one hand and the treacle tarts in the other. "Is that another lunatic raving about you should be locked away? I told you to stop reading those."

Remus shook his head slowly, still not looking up. "No…no, it's from Dumbledore."

Instantly Sirius looked up, suddenly very alert. "Wormtail?"

But Remus only declined again, a look of deep worry on his face. Harry felt the happiness seep from him. Was something wrong? Had the ministry come up with a reason why he couldn't stay here? Or had they found out about Sirius?

Finally, Remus looked up. "He's offering me a job. He wants me to return to Hogwarts."


	9. Teaching Tonks

**New chapter! And there's actually some Tonks in it!  
**

 **Maya Poltergeist: It's not a HarryX** ** **Ginny** story per se, as the focus will be mainly on Remus and Tonks, but I do plan to do Canon pairings, so it will eventually come to that. However, it's still a very long way off, and even when it does it will be more of a sideshow. So you can safely read this ;)**

 **Alicia Olivia Mirza: Hermoine was in there, but then I realized she was actually on vacation. At least I think she mentioned something like that in the book, so she obviously couldn't have made it.**

 **Skybox: Sorry I didn't make this clear. The job Dumbledore offers is the DADA post. In my mind, the reason he went for Moody in the books was because he was worried about Voldemort returning, and wanted an Auror there. But in this story Voldemort's been dead for years, so there's no need to get Moody.  
**

 **alix33: Good point about Hagrid and Snuffles! Remus should probably check on the bike before Hagrid leaves. And Shepherds Pie sounds yummy indeed...getting hungry just by thinking about it :D  
**

* * *

 **Teaching Tonks**

"So you won't take a job, but you'll go on a date?"

Remus sighed at the nagging voice sounding from the living room as he was passing the door. Harry had started reading his new book, which meant that Sirius was bored. And a bored Sirius was a very annoying Sirius.

"It's not a date," Remus said without so much as looking, walking up the stairs in search of the Russian dictionary he was sure he had left lying around _somewhere_.

He had half an hour until he was supposed to meet Tonks, and at this point he was almost willing time to go faster despite his anxiety, just so he could escape his friend's constant asking.

Ever since he had made the mistake of mentioning that he was out to meet someone, and failing to give an adequate explanation quickly enough, Sirius had been convinced he was going on a date. It didn't help that Remus had actually let slip that it was in fact a woman he was meeting.

He didn't know why he hadn't just stuck to the truth, that he was teaching someone Russian without actually mentioning the name. But in his anxiousness not to let slip who it was he had managed nothing more than a "none of your business", and of course by now it was far too late. Sirius would just assume it was some excuse, no matter how many Russian dictionaries Remus waved in his face.

"Don't you think you should wear something nicer?" Sirius suddenly appeared behind him, looking over Remus' shoulder as he was digging through his sock drawer, convinced he had seen some sort of book in there earlier. "I mean, she must obviously dig the impoverished academic look you've got going if she agreed to go out with you, but that hole in your shoe is pushing it a bit, don't you think?"

"Piss off, Padfoot."

Remus fished a tattered book out from between two pairs of threadbare socks, only to disappointedly throw it back down when he realized it was a transfiguration book from his fourth year at Hogwarts. He moved over to his wardrobe, often a source of unexpected literature, and Sirius followed him.

"Will you be bringing her here? I could chill some wine."

"We don't have any; you drank all of that last night. Can't you go and annoy Buckbeak?"

 _The Neverending Story._ Very helpful. He tossed the book aside, sadly missing Sirius' toe.

"He's still mad at me because of yesterday. Are you seriously going to wear that shirt? You do realize it has a hole on the back."

"I'm wearing a jumper over it. Please go away."

He knew Sirius was only acting like this because he was still mad at Remus for not accepting Dumbledore's offer. They had had something almost like a full-blown argument last night, only ending when Remus had abruptly stood up and went to bed, and Sirius had still been unusually frosty this morning.

He thought it was madness, not accepting something like this, when it wasn't just a job that paid well, but also something Remus loved doing. In his weaker moments, just before drifting asleep when he had allowed himself to dream, Remus was inclined to agree. The idea of going back to Hogwarts, to teaching…

But then he remembered why he had left, remembered the disgust that he was met with whenever he ventured into Diagon Alley, the letters from angry parents that still occasionally found the way into their kitchen, Mrs Weasley's awkwardness the at Harry's birthday last night.

Dumbledore couldn't have been thinking clearly when he had sent the letter over; there was no way the ministry would allow him to hire a known werewolf, not to mention the wave of students being taken out of school that would surely follow such an announcement.

No, it was a dream. A wonderful, bittersweet dream, but a dream nonetheless. And once Sirius got over his stubbornness, he'd understand that, too.

Sadly, his friend was not at this point yet, and insisted on playing the role of insufferable prick he knew so well from their youth.

"But what if you go back to her place, and you take it off? Are you at least wearing clean underwear?"

 _Sweet Merlin, I'm going to kill him._

"I appreciate your concern, but I have no intention of taking off anything but your head if you don't shut up soon."

He moved on towards his bed, finding nothing but an encyclopaedia on Asian water demons and a battered copy of _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ under the pillow. He wondered if he could ask Harry to borrow some of the Ton-Tongue Toffee the twins had given him for his birthday, and if Sirius might possibly fall for them.

"So who is this chick, then? Do I know her? Was she at Hogwarts with us?"

Remus didn't hear him as he let out a shout of triumph, finally locating the dictionary beneath a pile of old Defence journals at the edge of his desk.

" _Russian?_ " Sirius asked, perplexed. Then, a look of comprehension dawned on his face. "Wait a minute…it's not Val, is it? You're seeing _Val!?_ "

Remus rolled his eyes, grabbing his coat and stuffing the book into a pocket on his way downstairs. "Val's Polish, you moron. Now good night, and don't you dare get drunk in front of Harry."

With that he was out of the door, flipping two fingers into the direction of Sirius' "Have a good shag!"

* * *

It was still light when he apparated a few blocks from Tonks flat, but it was considerably colder in London and judging by the damp pavements it had recently rained. Remus shivered slightly, and hastily set off in what he hoped was the right direction.

He'd spent the day alternately planning his lesson and wondering what on earth he was doing. Would Tonks even play her cover that far? Or would she start interrogating him the moment he set foot into her flat? He almost felt naïve for even preparing anything at all.

 _Why am I even here_?, he wondered, finally standing in front of a greyish apartment block that looked very muggle. Two houses down was a neon-lit night club, and loud music washed over him, the beat reverberating in his stomach even in this distance.

 _Because you're a lonely old git who has nothing better to do._

He sighed, pressing the doorbell labelled ' _N. A. Tonks_ ' A second later there was a static noise, followed by a very blurred voice. "Who is it?"

He cleared his throat nervously. The last time he had used a contraception like this was when he'd visited his mother, and that had been over two years ago. He had hated it, because talking into a machine like that made him feel like an idiot. "Erm…it's Remus Lupin."

"Oh!" Tonks seemed genuinely surprised, despite it being exactly seven o'clock (he could actually hear some church bells in the distance), but recovered quickly. "Come on up. I'm afraid the lift's broken, you'll have to use the stairs." There was a loud buzzing sound, and he hastily pushed the door open.

The hallway was dark, lit by flickering lights that seemed to be dying as he was looking at them, and he was more than happy to take the stairs. He didn't even like the lifts in the ministry, and with those he could at least be certain they worked. Those muggle cabins had always felt like death traps to him.

As he was climbing the stairs, looking at colourful posters of bands he had never heard of, he wondered why Tonks would choose to live in a place like this. Surely Auror pay wasn't that bad? He knew for a fact that Andromeda had never been poor either, even after turning away from most of her family. Surely she could buy her daughter a nicer flat?

Tonks was already waiting for him when he finally reached the fifth floor, her long hair in a violent shade of orange today that clashed terribly with the purple Weird Sisters shirt she was wearing.

"Sorry about the stairs.", she grinned apologetically. "Landlord says they'll fix it, but I don't think that's ever gonna happen. Helps to keep me fit, though."

She took a step back, letting him into her flat. His first thought was that Tonks had obviously chosen this apartment on purpose, for her flat looked like a direct continuation of the dingy hallway, except maybe a bit more colourful. The wands were plastered with concert posters that made him feel old just by looking at them, and the floor was littered with so much clutter it made Sirius look like the tidiest house-elf in comparison.

Tonks didn't seem to mind, though stumbling past him towards a partially cleared table. "Sit down; just throw that stuff on the floor. Tea?"

Remus managed to nod, still somewhat struck by the garbage dump in front of him.

"Milk?"

Her voice snatched him out of his shell-shocked state, and he quickly nodded again. "Yes please, no sugar." He cautiously took a large step over something that might once have been an owl cage, although he couldn't be sure. Judging by the smell there wasn't an owl in there now, at least not an alive one.

Something crunched as he stepped on it, but he was relieved to find it was merely some chocolate frog wrapping, and made his way safely over to the table. Once there he found himself slightly at loss at where to sit, finally taking a pile of books from one char and putting them on top of another, where they wobbled precariously but kept upright. Relieved, he sat down, wondering what sort of crazy person could possibly live in so much chaos, when Tonks returned from the kitchen carefully balancing two mugs in front of her, tongue almost comically between her lips in concentration .

"Sorry about the mess. I'm not usually this bad. I mean, I _am_ pretty untidy", she laughed, managing to set down the mugs with only a little splashing and unceremoniously swiping off some official-looking reports from a chair before sitting down, "But this is just to piss off my mum. She came by last night and I didn't get to cleaning it up yet."

Remus nodded, not sure what to say except _That's completely mental_ , which might have been perceived as rude.

Tonks seemed to read it on his face anyway, and gave another laugh. "I swear, I don't usually do it! She was just nagging endlessly about how I was terribly untidy, how I was never going to find a decent man, and so on, and I thought I might as well meet her expectations. I did contemplate sleeping with some random stranger, but this seemed easier."

Remus blinked, fighting very hard now to keep his composure while he could feel the tips of his ears reddening. Was this some sort of test? Was Tonks trying to hurl so much crazy at him until he crumbled and admitted to whatever it was she suspected him of?

But she seemed to regret her last words as well, blushing slightly and hastily looking down. "Sorry, didn't mean to share all that." She cleared her throat nervously. "So…Are you hungry?"

Remus blinked. "What?"

"Hungry. Have you had dinner."

Remus realized that with all the annoying commentary from Sirius he had actually forgotten to eat before he left, so he shook his head. "No, actually. But I was under the impression-"

"Excellent, I'm famished!" Tonks jumped up, stumbling when her foot caught on the documents from earlier and managing to stay upright solely by grabbing onto another chair, which promptly fell down, scattering the books Remus had so meticulously stacked.

Muttering expletives she waved her wand, but it did little more than hurl them up in the air once before they crashed down a second time, making Remus wince. He wasn't known for treating his books with the greatest care, and if Madam Pince knew where he was storing some of them she'd probably apparate straight into his living room to hex him, but this…this just made his heart ache.

"I've got it," he said hastily, drawing his own wand to send the books back onto the chair before Tonks could do any more damage, like setting them on fire. He certainly hadn't forgotten the table at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Thanks", the Auror muttered, clearly embarrassed, before setting off towards the kitchen. "Do you like Chinese? Since you're not letting me pay you I thought I'd at least buy dinner." Remus nodded, deciding to clear up the table while he had his wand out, and discretely formed a few more orderly piles.

While he was working, he wondered if she had spiked the food with something, Veritaserum maybe…but then he remembered he'd already drunken from the tea without so much as a thought, and silently cursed his carelessness. There was just something so unsettling in this chaos he had instinctively sought refuge in tea...Merlin, he needed help.

So did Tonks, by the sound of it, as a loud crash followed by some choice swearwords – Sirius would be proud – rang out form the kitchen. He wearily wandered over, not sure he wanted to see what was going on. But Tonks had already repaired the plate, and was now filling something delicious-smelling onto them.

"Need help?" he asked, smiling despite his mental turmoil. Tonks looked over, or tried to as her long hair kept falling into her face. With a disgruntled sound she morphed it shorter until it was standing up in spikes, and grinned at him triumphantly.

"I think I got it. Though if you want to make sure you might want to carry your plate yourself. I'm used to scrapping my food off the floor, but I've been told by my mother that it's terribly rude to expect that from guests."

Remus couldn't help but laugh at that, suddenly feeling a lot more relaxed. (Maybe she had put something in the tea after all? Firewhiskey?) „Maybe I should carry yours as well, then. I'd feel obliged to share with you if you dropped you meal, and as it looks very nice I'd rather not do that."

 _Here we go, flirting again._

 _Piss off, Padfoot!_

He decided to just give up on questioning what on earth he was doing here (and why), and simply go with it. Whatever reason Tonks had for inviting him over, the food was excellent and talking to her came remarkably easy. She laughed a lot, and although he had initially thought her a tad on the brainless side, she was surprisingly intelligent, reminding him of Sirius at times but sharing none of the other Black's darkness, obviously having been brought up by a mother who loved her and a father who did not think the Cruciatus curse made for appropriate parenting measures.

He was enjoying himself so much that he nearly forgot why he was actually (or officially, anyway) here for, and it was almost eight when he remembered.

"So…Russian," he said, sending their empty plates towards the kitchen with a flick of his wand, having determined that it was a task better not left to Tonks. "Why not French or German?"

Tonks smile immediately vanished, and her look became cornered. "I know French," she said defensively, blushing as she admitted "A little, anyway. I just thought Russian would be cooler."

"You'll have to learn a completely new alphabet as well as the language," he pointed out. "Swedish is interesting, too, and it's a lot easier. Dawlish might teach you, I believe he spend some time there."

That made Tonks laugh again. "Did he really? I thought you were just winding him up." Remus shrugged, suddenly wishing he hadn't brought it up. "Not sure. It was somewhere up North, anyway."

Tonks seemed to be intent on asking another question, so he hastily said: "As I said, we'd have to start with the alphabet. It's actually not that hard if you know a few Greek letters, but as neither that nor muggle Physics is taught at Hogwarts, we'll probably have to start from scratch. I-"

"How long will it take?" Tonks interrupted him, tugging absentmindedly at a loose hem on her jeans.

Remus stopped, taken aback. "How long…? Well, that depends on what your aim is, and how fast you learn. If you-"

"Will I be able to hold a conversation with someone within a month?"

Remus stared at her again, beginning to suspect that there was indeed a reason for her sudden interest in Russian. And it didn't seem to have anything to do with him at all, strangely enough.

"Erm…that depends. If you're aiming for _One vodka please – great night isn't it – yes indeed_ , we'll be done by tonight." He paused, looking at her intently. "Why are you r _eally_ trying to learn Russian, Miss Tonks?"

Tonks laughed. " _Miss Tonks?_ Urgh. Please, just Tonks. Miss makes me sound way too girly. I'd offer you my first name, but then I'd have to hex you for using it."

Remus couldn't help at smile at that. "In that case, call me Remus. Why do you want to learn Russian, Tonks?"

For a moment, she didn't answer, and he wondered if he was pushing his luck. He didn't really know her after all, even if they were technically on a first name basis now. But after a moment she let out a low sigh, and chuckled lightly.

"'Cos I applied for a post that I really wanted, and they said you had to speak Russian and French for that. So I said I did, because I thought it would be easy enough to learn before I started. I know _some_ French; my Mum made me learn before Hogwarts."

Remus stared at her incredulously for a moment. "So, this…post starts in one month and you…you've never done Russian…ever." Tonks nodded, meeting his gaze as if to challenge him to call her stupid.

"That's…brave," he said after a moment, laughing a little because he didn't know what else to do. "You weren't in Gryffindor, by any chance?"

Tonks scrunched up her nose. "Other houses are allowed to be brave too, you know. Those Gryffingits don't hold a monopoly on that."

Remus had to laugh at that. "Gryffingits? Is that what the other houses call us?"

Tonks stared at him for a moment, before muttering a quiet. "Of course," before shrugging. "Only us Hufflepuffs, as far as I know. We're just pissed that everybody thinks you're the nice house, when clearly you're all a bunch of smug gits and _we_ are the truly nice people."

Remus, having heard enough Slytherin-hating rants from James and Sirius during his own school days, decided not to step any deeper into the inter-house warfare, and came back to the original topic of their conversation.

"I think it will be possible," he said cautiously. "Obviously you won't be very fluent, and we might have to skip the alphabet if you're really just going for the conversation, but it should be enough to at least save you from being fired for right-out lying to your employer. It'll mean a lot of work, though."

Tonks beamed at him, nodding enthusiastically, and he sighed defeated.

 _Well, it's not like you've got much else to do. And the food_ was _good._

"Where is this wondrous post then, that's worth so much trouble?"

Tonks grinned brightly, dark eyes shining. "It's at Hogwarts!"

* * *

 **So what did you think? Will Sirius ever not be a prick? (Hint: No.) And will Remus manage to teach her?  
**

 **Reviews are always welcome :)**


	10. A lot of Letters

**I apologize for not posting for so long.**

 **No worries, I haven't given up on this story (or my other one), but things at uni were kind of stressful (and still will be for about a month), and I also went on holiday, so posting was postponed. But I'm back now and I'll try to get back to at least one chapter a week :)**

 **alix33: It really is. I was wondering if I went a bit overboard with the whole bookworm thing, but I felt like moderate exaggeration is very much part of the Harry Potter spirit, so I went with it. Glad you liked it :)**

 **Alicia Olivia Mirza: He might...After all, with Tonks attending there might be a new incentive to return to Hogwarts ;)**

 **Lupinfamily4ever: Thanks! I love writing Sirius/Remus scenes like that, the bickering between them is just far too much fun. And I'm really glad you guys enjoy it as well :)**

 **4Eirlys: Krum is Bulgarian, but personally I don't think Durmstrang is in Bulgaria (although we are never told, so it might be). For once, Dumbledore mentions they're "from the North", and Bulgaria is very much South of Britain. And secondly, with the few magical schools that are mentioned, I don't think a country as small of that would have its own school. My guess (and the scenario I'll be using in this story) is that there would be a school in Eastern Europe that has students from many different countries, and the common language would most likely be Russian. But that's pure speculations and might be nonsense, of course.**

* * *

 **A lot of letters**

It was past midnight when Remus finally stumbled back into the cottage, thoroughly exhausted but in a considerably better mood than when he had left. Of course Sirius was still waiting for him, grinning at him over the top of a magazine that Remus very much hoped he had fetched only after Harry had gone to bed.

"So…how was it?" he asked, in a falsely innocent tone that made Remus want to run straight back out of the door again.

"None of your business, Padfoot," he said, sitting down in his armchair and kicking of his shoes. For a moment Sirius was silent, and Remus allowed his eyes to drift closed, thinking that maybe the annoying mutt had finally given-

"So are you going to see her again? Or was this a shag and run?"

 _Oh, blast it._

"Yes, I am. I'm teaching her Russian, for Merlin's sake. So get your mind out of the gutter and stop acting like a ten-year-old."

Sirius frowned, before grinning again. "Teaching Russian? Is that what they're calling it these days? You've got to be more explicit with me, after twelve years in Azkaban I'm a bit rusty with the pop culture."

This was obviously hopeless.

"It's not a euphemism. I'm going to bed now." He rose again, deciding that the probability of a relaxing cup of tea in front of the fire had reached zero.

But before he had gotten far, Sirius spoke again, this time sounding a lot more sincere. "There was a letter for you. From Dumbledore."

Remus stopped dead in his track. He'd written to the headmaster only this morning, thanking for the offered position and politely declining. "What does he want?"

Sirius held up his hands. "How should I know!? I don't go snooping around your mail, do I? It's on the mantel piece." Remus walked over, but before he had even reached it Sirius said: "He's insisting you take the job. Says that he'll handle the ministry. You're not gonna refuse again, are you?"

Remus sighed, pocketing the opened letter without even looking at it. "Thanks, Padfoot. You didn't also answer him on my behalf, did you?"

Sirius at least had the decency to look ashamed of himself. "Well, I couldn't know it was for you, could I?"

"It has my name on it!"

"Yes, but he can hardly put mine if he wants to write to me, can he? It might have been for me."

Remus didn't even grace that with a response, walking out of the room without a further word. As he was climbing the stairs, he heard Sirius yell after him: "You're going to take it, aren't you? Moony? Tell me you're gonna take the job!"

* * *

"Privet."

"Huh?" Tonks stopped, sloshing coffee from the cup she'd been holding over her hands. She winced in pain, cursing early mornings and work in general. Kingsley merely grinned at her. "Kak pozhivayete?"

It took her a while to make sense of the sounds coming out of his mouth. "Oh, very funny," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just checking on your progress. When are you going to confess to Scrimgeour?" He leaned back in his chair, obviously highly pleased by his own wit.

She snorted. "How long did it take you to look that one up? Did you actually come in early to do research just so you could wind me up?"

Kingsley shrugged. "Popped by the International Department on my way here. I had them write me down a whole stack of phrases; I can do this all week." He pointed towards a pile of memos pinned to his desk.

Tonks would have to ask Remus for some Russian insults first thing this evening.

"You're just jealous," she said, walking over to her own desk, "And for your information, I actually found someone to teach me." With that she sat down in what was supposed to be a dignified sweep, but turned into an embarrassing stumble when she nearly missed the chair.

"You did?" Kingsley had come after her, obviously deeming his own work unimportant enough to annoy her instead. "Who is it? You do realize Scrimgeour will get suspicious if you show up at the language course in the International Department?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid, git. It's that guy Dawlish and I investigated. Remus Lupin."

Kingsley's eyebrows shot up. "The werewolf? I thought he taught Defence."

"Yes, well, apparently he also speaks Russian. And he's harmless; all he does is read."

Kingsley laughed. "I know he's harmless; I went to Hogwarts with him. I told Dawlish so, but of course he didn't listen. So where did you find him, then?"

Tonks picked up a file, leafing through it in the well-practiced _it-looks-like-we're-talking-about-work-when-really-we're-just-chatting_ -routine. "At the Leaky on Friday, right after you left. He was over last night, and he says it's doable to learn it till September."

"At the Leaky?" Kingsley repeated, taking her quill and doodling on a piece of parchment as if taking notes. "Back to chatting up random strangers?"

Tonks felt herself blushing, and hastily morphed it away. "It's nothing like that! He's like a million years older than me and he thinks history books are interesting. I don't date _everybody_ I meet, Kingsley."

The other Auror didn't comment, though she could swear she heard him mutter something like "You certainly do try…" as he was strolling away just as Dawlish walked past her booth, looking cross and intent on telling dawdlers off.

Tonks hastily bowed over the file she'd been holding, groaning when she realized it was another collection of falsified reports of Dark magic that needed to be looked in, meaning a morning of writing about old ladies who'd been scared by cats.

As she was trying not to fall asleep, she felt guilt creep up in her for talking like that about Remus.

He wasn't _that_ old, after all. He didn't exactly look like the picture of youth, with all those scars and his greying hair, but if he had been at Hogwarts with Kingsley he couldn't be older than forty, probably closer to thirty-five.

And he might have strange interests, but talking to him last night had been anything but boring. She had been surprised at his wicked sense of humour, and the mischievous character hiding beneath the calm facade.

 _He's good looking._

That thought surprised her.

Because, objectively, Remus Lupin wasn't a handsome man, at least not to classical standards. His hair was flecked with grey, his face lined and scarred, and his robes patched so often some kids would pay a lot of money to have their clothes look like that.

Yet there was something to him that made her stop to look, and last night she had caught herself more than once stealing glances in his direction when he wasn't looking. Maybe it was his eyes, pale blue and seemingly shining of their own accord, or the way his light brown hair was slightly too long, fringe falling into his eyes ever so often, or the way he smiled when...

Not that Tonks would date him, of course. For once, he was still a suspect of sorts, even though the official investigation had ended. And, more importantly, he simply wasn't her type.

No matter how cute his smile might be.

* * *

Remus wasn't sure what was more annoying – Sirius badgering him about returning to Hogwarts, or about his "secret Russian girlfriend", or Sergie (because pronouncing SeRGi was too much of a hassle) as he had dubbed her.

The lessons with Tonks were going well – she had obviously no great gift for languages, but she was fiercely determined and worked hard, barely allowing herself a free minute between work and lessons. So hard, in fact, that on Thursday night he came back from her kitchen after having prepared tea, only to find she had fallen asleep on the book he had set her to read.

For a moment he simply stood there, contemplating his options. He could leave – probably the safest route, but not exactly polite. He could wait to see if she was going to wake up by herself, which judging by her uncomfortable position shouldn't take too long. Then again, she _was_ snoring softly… Remus sighed defeated, realizing that he would have to wake her up.

He carefully set down the mugs on the table (which was a lot more cleaner now than when he had first seen it. Tonks hadn't been lying, after all, for now that she had cleared away the mess created to annoy Andromeda, her flat looked almost normal. Or normal if one had shared a dorm with Sirius Black for seven years.) and approached her slowly.

Her hair, pink today, was significantly paler than it had been when he had arrived almost three hours ago, and there was a distinct shade of brown creeping up from the roots. He wondered if it was a sign of exhaustion or if Metamorphagi generally lost their morph while sleeping – brown was probably her natural colour. He unconsciously took a step closer, taking in her face. It looked the same as ever, pale, heart-shaped, and…twitching.

His heart started beating faster as Tonks moved, eyes moving wildly behind closed lids and obviously waking up. He was just about to take a hasty step back, when she opened her mouth.

"R-Remus."

It was barely for than a warbled mumbling, and he might well have misheard (in fact he convinced himself he had, later that night when he was lying in bed, unable to sleep), but it struck him nevertheless, and he just stared at her, unable to move while she was slowly opening her eyes.

For a moment, she didn't react at all, simply staring at him as he stared back, a look of mild confusion on her face.

Then realization hit, and she jerked up, eyes wide open now. "Fuck!" She blushed, shaking her head as if to get rid of the sleepiness. "I…Did I fall asleep? Merlin, this is embarrassing. How long…"

Remus had to fight a smile at her frantic confusion, and quickly placed a mug of tea in her hand. "Only a minute or so. I was just about to wake you up."

 _But Instead I stared at you like a creepy pervert for a bit._

He cleared his throat, trying to get his thoughts into some sort of order. "Maybe I should go. It is getting rather late."

"No!" Tonks cried, suddenly looking very upset, before she caught herself and blushed again, quietly muttering: "I mean…you've just made a cup of tea. At least drink that first." Remus hesitated, but sat down again nonetheless.

"Stressing day at work?" he asked after a minute of uncomfortable silence.

Tonks groaned. "Terrible. Everyone's freaking out 'cos of the World Cup, and with all the extra security spells being placed there's a ton of paperwork that gets left over. Which they of course drop on those of us stuck in the office. I swear, the next file Kingsley leaves on my desk I'm going to set on fire."

Remus had to laugh at that. He knew Tonks well enough by now that sitting still was not exactly her strongest suit – even during their lesson she'd jump up suddenly and stroll through the room in the middle of a discussion – and the thought of her being stuck behind a pile of parchment while the other Aurors were watching Quidditch games (because that's what Tonks claimed those on duty were really doing, anyway) was highly amusing.

"And Dad's been nagging me for ages to get him tickets for the finale. He seems to be under the impression they're just handing them out in the atrium."

Remus looked up from his tea, surprised. He remembered Arthur Weasley, whom his son Ron seemed to be confident would be able to get not just a few tickets, but enough for all of his children.

"Surely you must know someone from the Department who could help out?"

Tonks face darkened. "I do. But we went on a date a month ago and I ended up emptying a cup of coffee in his lap. I don't think he'll be happy to help me." Remus raised an eyebrow, but Tonks didn't comment further, and shrugged. "Dad'll just have to pay for them, like any normal wizard. Are you going?"

He shook his head. "I've never been much of a Quidditch enthusiast. Harry is, but luckily the Weasley family offered to take him with them."

"Weasley?" Tonks asked. "I didn't know you knew them. I used to go out with their son Charlie Weasley at Hogwarts. Haven't seen him in years, though, word is he's in Romania getting eaten by dragons." Her gaze drifted off into the distance, and Remus suddenly felt annoyance rising in his stomach, although he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was that made him so disgruntled.

"I don't really know them well myself, but Harry's friends with their youngest son, Ron," he said, in a desperate attempt to ignore the sudden burning, and failing miserably. He quickly drained his cup, scalding his throat in the process, and rose to his feet. "I think I'll be going now. Maybe we should skip tomorrow; you look like you could use some rest."

"No!" Tonks cried, jumping to her feet. "It's fine, I'll just catch up on sleep at work. The office is empty half the time these days anyway, no one will notice." She grinned at him, and her eyes sparkled in a way that made the anger in his chest melt away like butter.

 _Yes. There is definitely something strange going on._

* * *

Despite her protests, Remus insisted on cutting back their lessons after this incident, which had the added benefit of getting Sirius to ease up on the constant teasing a little (or maybe he was simply getting bored and running out of inappropriate Russia puns). The Hogwarts thing was trickier to get rid of.

Remus had written to Dumbledore again at breakfast, but the next day there was another letter. This time he didn't even write back, suspecting that this was some sort of ill-advised prank. On Wednesday morning, there were two letters.

"I think they really are from Dumbledore," Harry said, feeding the school owls that had delivered the mail a few specks of bacon, which earned him cries of outrage from Hedwig. "He did something like that to me too, when the Dursleys wouldn't let me open my Hogwarts letter."

Remus frowned. "Your letters weren't being delivered properly. These are. I'm reading them; I even replied to them!"

"Yeah, but you gave the wrong answer," Sirius pointed out, stuffing another sausage in his mouth. "I bet if you just said yes, they'd stop."

Remus didn't reply yes, and the letters didn't stop. By Friday, there was a whole stack of letters, and the garden looked as if the owlery at Hogwarts had temporarily taken up camp there, much to Buckbeak's annoyance.

"This is getting ridiculous," Remus complained. "If you're behind this Padfoot, I'll throw you out. I don't care you're homeless, go live in a cave if you have to." Sirius merely grinned, obviously highly pleased at the whole situation, before bursting into laughter when a barn owl relieved itself on the hippogriff's head.

On Sunday morning, there was a knock on the door.

"Good morning, Remus," Professor Dumbledore said, smiling politely as he stepped over the threshold. "Did you get my letter?"

* * *

 **Albus Dumbledore, the king of spam mail. I wonder if there are spam filters for owls...**

 **Anyway, what did you think? And apologies again for the long delay, next chapter will be up soon! :)**


	11. An Old New Teacher

**Thought I'd make up for the long absence with a quick update ;)**

 **(Don't get used to it, though!)**

 **alix33: good point about the parchment! Usually I try and remember that stuff, but it slips past sometimes. Hedwig is getting bacon, actually. She's just outraged that other, less important/great/royal/whatever she's thinking about herself owls also do. Fed by Harry, her own personal slave, at that.**

* * *

 **An Old New Teacher**

Harry didn't know what it was that Dumbledore had told Remus, or how on earth he had managed it, but by the time the Headmaster was leaving the cottage with one last smile towards Harry, the werewolf had changed his mind.

"Professor Moony!" Sirius laughed as the door shut close behind Dumbledore. "You're actually gonna be a professor again! This is so cool, I can't wait to see!"

"You're not going to see, you won't be in my lessons," Remus said, slowly walking over to the kitchen and very much looking like he was already regretting his decision.

"But you _are_ gonna take me to Hogwarts," Sirius clarified, lazily flicking his wand to boil some water. "I'm your dog, and teachers are allowed to bring pets."

"Yes," Remus said, and Harry felt his euphoria rise. "Mind you, I wish I had an owl I could take instead."

"So you'll be our teacher again? And the two of you will be living in the castle?" Harry asked, fighting very hard not to jump up and down with excitement. This was the best news he'd heard all summer, and with the amazing summer he'd had so far that was really saying something.

"Apparently," Remus said, accepting the cup of tea Sirius was handing him, before grimacing at the taste and putting it down again. "Although Dumbledore might not get through with it. He says he won't care about the letters, but the ministry could step in, set up some new laws...And then it won't just be all the Hogwarts parents that hate me but also the werewolf population. There was already talk of stricter regulation after what happened in June, and this..." He drifted off, staring at the table as if he had just signed his own death sentence.

"The Weasleys won't hate you!" Harry protested, "And everyone said you were the best teacher we ever had; they were sad you were leaving even after they knew you were a werewolf!"

Remus forced a small smile but didn't really look at Harry, before rising to his feet. "I need to get going; I'll see you at dinner." He vanished his untouched cup of tea and walked up the stairs, leaving a very confused Harry.

"I thought he'd be happy."

Sirius shrugged, emptying his own cup of tea into the sink and summoning a bottle of a butterbeer from cupboard. "Give him time. He'll fret about it for days, change his mind a few times, owl Dumbledore, decide to leave the country and never come back, get atrociously pissed, and then, while he's lying in bed with a horrible hangover, he'll accept it. And then he'll be happy, though he'll still feel guilty about it for at least half a year. It's the Moony way, perfectly normal."

Harry stared at him, not sure if Sirius was joking. Over the summer he'd learned that Remus was a lot more self-conscious about his condition than he'd previously thought, but he hadn't known the werewolf struggled with it quite this badly.

"But that's stupid! Who cares what the parents say; it's Dumbledore's decision who to hire, isn't it? The last two Defence teachers were a murderer and a fraud, and no one kicked up a fuss about that."

"Hey, no need to tell me!" Sirius complained, using his wand to levitate the butterbeer cork through the air before catapulting it towards the bin, missing by several feet. "Life's not fair and all that. Besides, he might have gotten better. Back in school it took us almost a year to convince him to go out with the girl he fancied, and look at him now, running off to his girlfriend every chance that he gets."

"She's not my girlfriend", Remus insisted as he was coming down the stairs again and poking his head through the kitchen door to retrieve his jumper.

Sirius grinned at him. "Is that a new shirt you're wearing? Taking Sergie out for a fancy Sunday dinner now that you've got a job?"

Remus had already disappeared and didn't answer, but a heavy book flew through the crack, hitting Sirius in the head a moment before the front door fell shut.

"Ouch. Touchy werewolf." Sirius retrieved the book, read the title and chuckled. "At least he uses violence with style." He threw _Silence is Magic_ back down on the table and stretched. "I'm actually going back to Hogwarts...can't believe it." He grinned happily.

For a moment Harry joined him, until another thought brought his euphoria crashing down in an instant. "Will it be safe, though?" he asked uncertainly. "I know there's no Dementors anymore, and Dumbledore said it was okay, but...what if you're discovered?" The idea of Sirius being dragged back to Azkaban – or worse, kissed by Dementors – made his stomach churn.

Sirius shrugged. "Nah, it'll be fine. Dumbledore set up some pretty strict rules – I'm not allowed to transform anywhere outside Remus' quarters, and there'll be wards on the door to keep anybody from entering unannounced. My bedroom'll be hidden and I have to clear up any evidence of my presence. Pretty much like I'm living here, only there's less room." He rolled his eyes slightly, obviously thinking so much safety measures superfluous. Harry, however, was glad about it, especially when he reminded himself that Dumbledore had obviously deemed the whole endeavour safe.

He hadn't actually known Sirius for that long, but he'd learned enough to know that he could be a bit reckless – if not for Remus to balance him out and Harry to care for, he would probably have left in search of Wormtail weeks ago.

Apparently the worry was plain on his face, because Sirius gave a strained little smile. "Cheer up, Harry," he said, fishing in his pockets for a pack of cards, "I'm gonna be a good little dog and stay put. Fancy a round of Exploding Snap before Ron's here?"

* * *

Later, when he was sitting on the garden chair with Ron, exhausted from chasing after the practice snitch all morning, Harry told him about Dumbledore's visit. Ron's reaction was similar to his own.

"Professor Lupin is coming back? That's awesome! I thought Dumbledore would dig out another idiot like Lockhart... What about Sirius, though? And Buckbeak?"

"Sirius will come with him, as Snuffles. I think he's gonna live in Remus' quarters, and Dumbledore will put up some spells so he can safely transform back in there. I don't know what will happen to Buckbeak, though. Suppose we'll figure it out."

He looked over to the hippogriff, who Sirius had only very sloppily disillusioned and who was now roaming the garden as a green-greyish bulk. Remus would probably draw a line at having an animagus _and_ a hippogriff living in his office.

"It was odd, though, he didn't seem happy at all. I think he's scared all the parents will be angry."

Ron frowned. "Suppose some will be. I mean, Mum lets me come here now, but she's still a bit jumpy. And imagine people like the Malfoys... Of course there'll be a fuss. But they can't really do anything, there's no law preventing werewolves from working, and it's Dumbledore's decision, isn't it?"

Harry nodded, trying to share Ron's optimism. "It'll be odd, won't it?" his friend continued, taking another swig of his butterbeer (Sirius' generous distribution of drinks was one of the reasons he liked coming to Birch Cottage so much). "I mean, you've lived with him for two months, calling him by his first name and all, and then suddenly he'll be your professor again. Think about it, you've seen him in his pyjamas!"

Harry laughed at that, even though he had never actually seen Remus in his pyjamas. The werewolf was usually up hours before him and Sirius. "Suppose...Sirius reckons he's got a girlfriend, by the way."

At that, Ron nearly choked on his drink. "Pr-Professor Lupin's got a girlfriend!?"

Harry shrugged. "Dunno, really. He's meeting some woman all the time, and he says he's teaching her Russian. Sirius says that's just an excuse, and he's been trying to find out who it is for a week now. But I think he just really likes to annoy Remus."

Ron didn't laugh, obviously still too shocked by the idea of a teacher having a sex life. He appeared to be of the opinion that professors should be entirely asexual entities, and to a certain extend Harry couldn't help but agree. It was just too _odd_ to imagine Remus...

"Hello Harry, Ron." They both jumped at the sudden voice, and a second later Remus stepped through the back door, smiling at them.

"H-Hello Professor Lupin.", Ron managed, face suddenly very red. Remus threw him a bewildered look, before frowning at the partly visible hippogriff that was currently disembowelling his lawn.

"Sirius," he called back into the house. "Didn't I tell you to fix Buckbeak?"

There was a crashing noise, followed by loud swearing, and window opening above them: "I did it yesterday! It's your turn!" The window slammed shut again and Remus snorted, muttering something indistinguishable and drew his wand.

"You know," Harry said quietly to Ron as they watched their professor carefully approaching the hippogriff, "Sometimes I think they might as well be married."

Above them, the window was yanked open again. "Did you get my records from Gringotts? I swear, if I have to listen to bloody Genesis one more time-"

Harry and Ron sniggered. "Yeah, but they'd be a lot cooler than other married people," Ron said, somewhat wistfully.

* * *

"Good evening, Nymphadora." Remus smiled as Tonks opened the door, grinning as she always did when he saw her.

"Wotcher, Remus. Use that name again and I'll hex you."

Remus couldn't help but smile at that. He didn't know why he insisted on calling her by her first name; the first time had been a rather embarrassing accident but since then it had become somewhat of a ritual between them. He'd always apologize and promise not to do it again, she'd always threatened to hex him, and they both knew their promises were empty.

Tonks habitually glared at him, and continued. "I went for Indian tonight; hope you like chicken."

"Sounds wonderful." He stepped inside, only to freeze when he saw another person sitting at the kitchen table, watching him curiously.

It took him a moment to recognize the broad-shouldered Auror that had been with Tonks the day she had asked him to teach her Russian. He was sitting there smiling back at him, obviously not the least bit surprised to see Remus.

"Err..." Remus threw a look Tonks seeking help, but she had already disappeared into the kitchen, leaving him alone with the stranger.

Who was getting to his feet now, walking over and holding out a hand. "You must be Tonks' wondrous teacher. Kingsley Shacklebolt. My niece tells me great things about you – although I'm afraid my sister blames you that it is now Lizzy's wish to become an Auror."

Remus stared, shaking the hand mechanically while his mind tried to catch up with what he'd just heard.

There were a lot of things he expected to be accused of by parents concerning his year at Hogwarts, but being too inspiring certainly wasn't one of them. "Uhm..." he said, somewhat at a loss of how to react. "Nice to meet you."

Thankfully, Tonks returned and saved him. "Don't worry about Kingsley, he knows I've been lying to Scrimgeour and why you're here. He just popped by to..." She drifted off, frowning at the Auror. "What was it you wanted, actually? Other than to steal food, 'cos I must disappoint you; this is for Remus."

Kingsley gave an exaggerated sigh. "Worth a try..." He laughed deeply, before fishing two small pieces of parchment from his pocket. "Actually, I just came to deliver these. Smith needed a boggart cleared from his office and I could convince him to part with them in return. Not the greatest seats, I'm afraid, but better than nothing."

"Wow! Thanks, Kingsley!" At the sight of the Quidditch tickets, Tonks nearly dropped the empty plates she'd been carrying, hugging the Auror enthusiastically.

Remus frowned, feeling slightly disgruntled. Before he could catch himself, he said: "You get those for a boggart? I thought you said they weren't just handing them out in the atrium."

He inwardly winced at his own sharp tone, but Shacklebolt didn't seem to notice, the smile never leaving his face. "I was in the right place at the right time, really," he explained in a good-natured tone. "Smith's useless at defence; he was crying in a corner when I got into his office. Obviously never went to one of your classes." He chuckled again, patting Tonks on the back. "Anyway, Sophie said if I so much as think about missing the lad's birthday for a Quidditch game she'll divorce me, so I don't have a use for those. Stupid little bugger really; he's two, he wouldn't even know if we moved his birthday by one or two days..."

He shook his head wistfully, but Remus could see pride twinkling in his eyes and knew that the Auror wasn't really sad at all. The instinctive dislike he had felt towards Shacklebolt vanished in an instance, although he wasn't sure if it was because of the expression of fatherly love or the revelation that the Auror was in fact married. He was pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer to that.

"Anyway, I got to run. Dawlish put me on night duty 'cos I told him to chill after he had a run-in with a few dementors...that guy wouldn't know a joke when if it bit him in the arse. Nice to meet you, Lupin. Baka, Tonks."

With that, he was out of the door, leaving a still beaming Tonks and a somewhat flustered Remus. "So you'll go to the final after all?" he finally asked, in a desperate attempt to disperse the awkward silence.

Tonks shook her head, remembering the plates she was still holding and placing them on the table. "Nah, it was traumatizing enough seeing England get butchered; I don't need a repeat of that. Those are for my Dad; he's going completely mental. Actually threatened to cancel Christmas last night if I didn't manage to get him tickets. Talk about bad parenting..."

Remus, who remembered the lively discussions between James and Ted Tonks whenever they had visited for tea, couldn't help but smile. If ever there was a Quidditch enthusiast, it was Tonks' father.

"In that case, I'm happy to know that your Christmas is quite safe," he commented, filling their plates with the deliciously smelling muggle takeaway.

Tonks grinned. "More than safe! I'll be at Hogwarts...you remember Christmas at Hogwarts? All the trees, the-"

She stopped, face turning scarlet. "Oh shit," she exclaimed, shaking her head. "Here I am, blabbering on about how great it is, when you just lost your... of course you remember, you were there last year..."

Remus smiled, raising a hand to interrupt her rambling. "It's quite alright. I left on my own accord, after all."

 _Because I knew I'd be fired, and I couldn't bear to feel the shame._

But somehow with Tonks, he never quite felt as ashamed for his conditions. Which led him to say: "I missed it last year, actually. It was a full moon."

Immediately after the words had left his mouth he regretted them, but Tonks didn't even flinch. "Oh," she said simply, shooting him a sympathetic look. "That's unlucky."

He nodded vaguely, wondering if he should tell her that he'd have another chance at it this year. It had been two weeks since he had grudgingly accepted Dumbledore's offer, and he'd not told anybody except Sirius and Harry. Ron knew as well, but he had promised to keep it quiet. There would be enough outrage come September 1st; he had no desire to spend the last weeks of holidays being bombarded by angry letters and maybe the odd brick flying through his window.

Plus, as much as he had grown to view her as a friend over the last weeks, Tonks was still an Auror, working for the ministry. By now he was convinced she hadn't asked for these lessons in order to spy on him (and if she had, she deserved to fool him for sheer perseverance alone), and her views towards werewolves, or at least him, were liberal to say the least. But that didn't mean she was disloyal to the ministry, and letting a dark creature loose on a school full of children was certainly something the ministry would strive to prevent.

"So how are you going to spend Christmas, then?" she asked, smiling at him with her dark eyes that seemed to sparkle whenever she spoke. "With Harry? Because I think he might want to spend the holidays in Hogwarts this year. Some cool stuff going down."

Remus forgot all his previous reasoning. "The Triwizard Tournament, yes. He'll certainly want to stay."

Tonks eyes grew big, and she nearly dropped the fork she'd been holding. "How do _you_ know about it?" she exclaimed, brushing rice off her trousers. "It's supposed to be top secret!"

Remus smiled. "It is. But the Hogwarts staff are entitled to know, so Dumbledore told me."

It took a moment for his words to register, and as he wondered if he had just made a colossal mistake he could clearly see the emotions flicker over her face. Confusion first, then understanding, and then... "You're going to teach again?" A broad grin split her face, and her turquoise hair seemed to grow a shade brighter. "That's great!"

Remus felt a smile creeping onto his own face, and suddenly felt lighter than he had in weeks. He didn't know why he had told her – maybe it was because today, browsing Flourish and Blotts looking for a book for his sixth years (he hadn't been completely happy with his choice from last year) and watching an excited eleven-year-old dragging her parents towards Ollivanders, he had found himself looking forward to the new term for the first time since Dumbledore had shown up on his doorstep.

He was still somewhat wary, and part of him was screaming that he was committing an tremendous mistake that would only end in catastrophe and humiliation, but today he had finally found himself ignoring that voice, thinking instead of the wonderful prospect of returning to Hogwarts, to teaching, to a job that didn't fill him with shame... and to being able to see Tonks once their lessons had ended.

Although he was trying his very best to deny the fact in front of himself, Remus knew that she had been just as big factor in his decision as the idea of having a regular income once again. It was odd, really, how much he had grown to care for her over just a few short weeks. Odd, and somewhat frightening.

 _It doesn't matter. She's a friend, and that's that. No need to speculate any further, you'll just embarrass yourself._

"How come you changed your mind, then?" Tonks asked, interrupting his absentminded contemplation of her hair. He hastily returned to the present.

"Dumbledore," he said, taking a sip of his drink to cover up his embarrassment. "I refused at first, but he wouldn't take no for an answer." He realized with a pang that this made him sound terribly pompous – _look at me, I'm so sought after Albus Dumbledore himself has to come and beg me to work for him_ – but Tonks didn't seem to notice.

"You refused?" she asked, frowning. "But why?"

Remus stared at her in surprise. "Why? For the same reasons I left, of course. There's a lot of angry parents around right now, and they'll grow a lot angrier when they realized he re-hired the werewolf that almost killed three students. The idea in itself..." Even while he was talking, the voice of reason was growing louder inside his head again, and he suddenly felt the familiar dread at his decision again.

But before he could jump up to send an owl to Dumbledore saying that he had changed his mind (which he had done several times over the last week, all of which had been ignored), Tonks gave a scornful snort.

"So what? Parents are always pissed about something. Did you know there was actually one guy in my year, I think it was a Selwyn, whose parents wrote to Dumbledore asking him to have me removed from their son's classes because I was a 'dirty changeling'? And you heard Kingsley; his sister's annoyed because you're _too good_ at your job. From what I heard, the kids loved you. So who cares what their parents think; it's Hogwarts, they can't do anything."

Remus had to smile at her glowing speech, although secretly he thought she was being a bit naïve. "I hope Dumbledore expelled that Selwyn brat," he said instead, feeling anger rise at the thought of somebody discriminating at a Metamoprhagus, who unlike werewolves were no threat whatsoever.

Tonks laughed. "Nah, he just wrote them a polite letter telling them were to stuff it. But I broke the guy's nose at the next Quidditch game. Much more satisfying."

Remus had to admire her carefree attitude. He doubted the incident she mentioned was the only one like it, and yet she didn't seem to care much about the fact that some people thought her a creature rather than human.

 _But then, she doesn't lose her mind and go on a rampage once every month._

"They might not challenge Dumbledore directly, but laws can change," he said instead. "There's already talk about banning werewolves from employment-"

"Yeah, by bitchy toads like Umbridge. She can quack all she wants, no one's listening to her."

"-and stricter control," he finished, shaking his head. "In my experience, people like Dolores Umbridge can rise quite suddenly and surprisingly high if the right circumstances arise. Me returning to Hogwarts might make the minister listen to her ideas."

He didn't know why he was voicing his fears to Tonks, fears that he hadn't even really discussed with Sirius. But, as he suddenly remembered, she was paying him (or feeding him, really) to teach her, not to talk about his personal life. "I'm sorry," he said, straightening up and sending their now empty plates towards the kitchen. "Not really why we're here."

Tonks expression brightened. "Right. Gotta get to work so it won't actually be me who's spending Christmas away from Hogwarts."

As they went back to their reading, Remus felt his mood rise once more. He didn't care about the guilty feeling itching in his stomach – he was glad he'd be spending the term with her.

* * *

Remus new-found optimism held a whole four days. The morning had started pleasantly, really. Mrs Weasley had dropped by carrying a basket of muffins that had Padfoot whine in excitement and a smile that didn't even so much as flicker when Remus opened the door.

He had only met her and the other Weasleys a few times since Harry's birthday, usually when Ron or Harry were visiting each other, but every time she'd seem a little warmer towards him, until Ron had told him last week that she had apparently put him onto her annual Christmas jumper list, the ultimate endorsement (or maybe just a testament on how shabby he dressed; he wasn't sure).

She had come with the news that her husband had managed to obtain tickets to the World Cup, and asking if Harry would like to spend the remaining week of his holidays after the finale at the burrow, as they had originally planned when they still thought he'd needed to be rescued from his aunt and uncle.

Harry had been somewhat reluctant, but Remus had encouraged him to accept – after all, he'd still be seeing Sirius and Remus once the term started. That, and the full moon would be during that week, when either Harry or Remus would have to find somewhere else to stay anyway. And so it was decided that Harry would go to the Weasleys the next Saturday, while Remus and Sirius would stay at Birch cottage, 'finally being able to drink in peace', as the animagus put it.

Everything was well as they sat out in the garden, munching the Weasley-muffins and watching Buckbeak play with the pillow that Sirius had hexed so it would fly around the hippogriff's head (and which was rapidly being torn apart).

Until the evening Prophet arrived and Remus found his own face staring back at him.

* * *

 **Maybe it's a nice profile piece about his book collection?**


	12. A Loss of Trust

**alix33: I'm not sure about the hierarchy in the Auror Department, to be honest, apart from Scrimgeour being the boss. But given Dawlish is a lot older than Tonks I assumed he was higher in rank than her. Even though he's a total twat.**

 **CaseLC: Thanks! I was wondering if he was a bit too all over the place in that, but from personal experience I know how quickly opinions change when you're mulling over something big.**

 **FFcrazy15: Really sorry to have kept you from studying! If it's any consolation, I wrote a lot of this while I was supposed to write my Bachelor thesis, and that still turned out alright...**

* * *

 **A loss of trust**

 _WERE-TEACHER RETURNS – HOGWARTS A SCHOOL OF EVIL?_

 _Worrying news have just reach us that the infamous werewolf Remus Lupin, who was Professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts last year until it was discovered that he was in fact one of the very dangers he was supposed to be teaching about, is returning to the school this September. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore could not be reached for comment at this point, but-_

Harry stopped reading. "How did they find out? We didn't tell anyone, did we?"

Sirius, who had tossed the paper away disgusted grunt after one look at the headline, gave a snort. "Who knows. Who _cares_. It's just a bit of hot air, trying to sell papers while there's no game going on. Don't listen to any of it, Moony mate. Bunch of – Moony?"

Harry looked around at Remus, who had turned very pale. Even paler than when he had seen the paper, so much that his face was looking distinctly grey by now.

"Come on Moony, you're not gonna be intimidated by some stupid headline, are you? They-"

"It was her." Remus' voice was quiet, his eyes dull.

"Who?" Sirius asked, confused. "What, this Rita Skeeter? She-"

"No, not her. Sergie."

"What?"

Remus closed his eyes, sighing. "The girl I've been teaching Russian. It's that Auror that was here with Dawlish when Harry first moved in. I- I told her I was returning to Hogwarts. She must've... must've told the ministry."

"You got betrayed by your own _girlfriend_!? What the-"

"For the last time, she's not my girlfriend," Remus protested with a tired groan, sounding just as heartbroken and miserable as someone whose girlfriend had just betrayed them.

"So what now?" Harry asked, not sure how to deal with whatever was happening in front of him.

"Well, for once I'd break up with the bitch-", Sirius started, but Remus waved his words away.

"Nothing, really," he said. "We'll see if they can draw up new legislation to keep me out before the term starts, or if Dumbledore receives enough owls of parents taking their kids out of the school so he'll finally realize it was a stupid idea let me go back. In the meantime I should probably renew the wards, and ask the Weasleys if you can come a day or two early. There'll be a lot more anger this time."

"I'm not moving out!" Harry protested, shocked that Remus would suggest such a thing. "I don't care about stupid letters, or parents shouting at you through the door. Actually I'd like to stay longer now, so I can shout back."

Sirius barked a laugh at that. "You go, kiddo. I'll shit on their brooms while you distract them."

"You will do neither," Remus ruled, straightening up although to Harry he looked almost as ill as before the full moon. "I'll ask Dumbledore again to find someone else, not that he'll listen. Don't answer the door and don't open any letters, there's far nastier stuff going around than howlers."

With that, he disappeared inside. Harry and Sirius were silent for a while, as they watched Buckbeak destroy what was left of his pillow and shake his head angrily when goose feathers landed on his beak.

"They can't really make any laws against it, can they?" he asked finally.

Sirius shrugged. "Technically not, since Dumbledore already hired him, any legislation now would only rule for future job applicants. But they might not have to – Remus might just give up himself. You didn't see the early letters he got back in June – there was some mean shit in there. I was actually surprised how well he was handling going back; I didn't think Dumbledore would manage to convince him. But now – "

He sighed, giving the paper a hateful stare before tossing it over to Buckbeak for him to shred. "Don't you worry, Harry," he said, mussing up Harrys hair in a gesture that felt condescending and yet oddly reassuring at the same time. "I'll get him through it. Just enjoy Quidditch... And maybe stay away from the mail tomorrow." With that he stood up and went inside, leaving Harry to his own thoughts.

* * *

"So is she his girlfriend now or not?"

Hermoine rolled her eyes. "Ron, that's really not the point, is it?"

"Well, what is? It obviously sucks Lupin's getting so much flak because of that, but there's nothing to do about it, is there? And if they're smart they'll realize he's the best guy for the job."

"Yeah, but Sirius reckons he might resign anyway. There were some horrible howlers yesterday," Harry said glumly.

He was sitting in Ron's room at the Burrow, where they were staying with the twins. He'd arrived at the Burrow this afternoon, and he, Ron and Hermoine had went upstairs so they could chat without being on their guard.

"But that was to be expected, wasn't it?" Ron said. "I mean, he's nice and harmless and everything, but he's still a bloody werewolf. You've seen Mum."

"Yeah, but I had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with it until we're at Hogwarts. Less chance to back out. But now this stupid Auror went and blabbed... I don't know why he'd even tell her."

"Yeah, well, if she was his girlfriend-"

"It's none of our business, is it?" Hermoine interrupted them. "Professor Lupin's not stupid, he knows that it's Dumbledore's decision, not that of some overzealous parent."

Mrs Weasley's voice rang out somewhere in the house, calling them for dinner, and they dropped the topic. But Harry still didn't feel completely reassured. Hermoine had only ever seen Remus in the classroom. She had no idea that their professor had barely eaten in two days, talked even less and had looked as pale as the wall behind him when he had bid Harry farewell that afternoon. He glumly wondered if Dumbledore had a back-up plan for the Defence position.

* * *

"There's a letter for you. I think it's from Sergie, want me to burn it?" Sirius came into the room holding a piece of parchment in his hands.

In the first days of the Russian lessons he had made a huge deal out of the short notes Tonks had send him whenever she had gotten held up at work and had to cancel or postpone their meetings, or asking if he had time to come over on short notice if she found herself home early unexpectedly. Tonks never signed them, and they only ever consisted out of a few short sentences, but Sirius had summoned his inner Sherlock Holmes, searching desperately for the tiniest of hints as to who Sergie might be. He had gotten nowhere, with the exception that he know recognized Tonks' handwriting by a mile off.

"No, just leave it on the table," Remus said disinterested, running a tired hand over his face. It had been five days since he had last seen Tonks, the day before that blasted article had appeared. He knew he had no right to be this upset – Tonks _was_ working for the ministry after all, and no matter what she thought about it personally, the news of a werewolf teaching at Hogwarts was something Scrimgeour would want reported. He had no right to feel this betrayed.

And yet he did.

He'd written to Tonks the next day, telling her that he couldn't make their lesson because something had come up. The next day, he had told her he was sick. The day after that, he had simply stopped writing. It was unfair, and it was cowardly, but he knew he just couldn't face seeing her right now.

Not when he was still waking up to a howler every morning, and a suspicious pile of fresh ash in the fireplace that told him Sirius had gotten up before him, trying to hide the hateful letters from him.

"You know, if you told me where she lived I could just pop over and shit on her lawn."

Remus didn't even have the energy to argue. "She lives in an apartment. What is it with you and shitting on everything, anyway?"

His friend shrugged, plopping down next to him and handing him a mug of hot chocolate. "Well, I can't really hex them, can I? I could bite her, if that's better."

Remus didn't bother to answer, eying the mug in his hand suspiciously. He was very aware of the disappointing mess Sirius managed to turn even a cup of tea into, and he dreaded to think what this culinary disaster of a best friend could do to hot chocolate.

"Well, at least you don't have to do that whole long distance relationship bullshit now," Sirius mused, adding a generous measure of rum to his own mug. "You know, with you off to Hogwarts and all."

If he hadn't felt so wretched, Remus might have laughed at the irony of that statement. As it was, he simply took a sip of the drink in his hand, instantly feeling even more miserable. He wouldn't have thought it possible to make anything with chocolate in it taste this vile. Retching, he looked over at the letter. He didn't feel like opening it at all. Maybe he should ask Sirius...

As if he had read his mind, the animagus supplied: "She says she's worried, and that she read the paper and thinks they're a bunch of arseholes. Tells you not to listen to them." He shook his head. "Bit rich considering she's the one responsible, isn't it?"

Remus groaned. "For the love of Merlin, would you please stop reading my mail? You _knew_ that wasn't for you!"

Sirius looked unconcerned. "Yeah, well, for all I knew she might have hexed it or something. I was just trying to protect you, mate." There was a short pause. Then: "She signed it T. What's T stand for?"

Remus closed his eyes in frustration. "Piss off, Padfoot. I told you, she was that Auror."

"Is that her first name or her last? Or some sort of nickname? Ti..Ta...Travesta? I think there was a Travesta at Hogwarts with us..." Remus took another swing of the bitter mess in his mug, hoping the pain might distract him enough so he wouldn't hear Sirius' drivel. It didn't.

"Turpin? There was an Auror named Turpin, I read it in the paper the other day. Though I think it was a guy... Can you at least give me the second letter?"

Remus resisted the temptation of emptying his mug of yuck over Sirius' head, if only out of concern for his upholstery, and got to his feet. "I'm going to bed."

"It's not even nine! The game's about to start!"

Remus, who cared about who won the Quidditch World Cup about as much as Rita Skeeter did about other people's privacy, merely glared at him, and waved his wand at the battered radio, which hesitantly sprang to life. "Enjoy. And don't wake me when it breaks down."

Before he could even leave the room, the low gong sounded through the house, announcing that someone had crossed the wards surrounding the house. Remus froze. Unlike Sirius, who got to his feet lazily with a very marauder-ish grin on his face.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention. Sergie also wrote she'd come by if she didn't hear from you till tonight." Before Remus could decide with what hex to hit the black dog that was now panting happily at him, there was a knock on the door.

 _Shit._

His first instinct was to run upstairs and pretend he wasn't home. But she must've seen the light through the living room window, and frankly he wouldn't put it past Sirius to go ahead and open the door as a dog and lead her to him.

There was no escaping this. He'd just have to find a way to keep her out of Sirius' sight, and avoid calling her by her name. Betrayal or not, Sirius would probably kill him if he found out he'd been secretly meeting his little cousin.

"Stay _here_ ," he hissed, slowly walking over to the door, trying desperately to come up with something to say to her.

Maybe it wasn't Tonks. Maybe Sirius had just improvised to annoy him; maybe this was somebody else... because they got so many visitors... _Of course_ it was Tonks.

"Wotcher."

The first thing he noticed was the red hair – never a good sign, as he'd learned. Then there was her face. He wasn't sure what to make of her expression. She seemed angry, but also somewhat guarded – _hurt_.

Why was _she_ hurt?

"Hello," he said simply, and then, because it felt terribly awkward standing in the doorway, staring at each other in silence, "I'm sorry, I only just read your letter. It must have gotten...lost." He threw a dark glance over at the dog behind him, who had, of course, ignored his warning and come after him in the hallway.

"Lost?" Her voice was sharp. "What, did your dog eat it or what? You know, not even muggles fall for that excuse."

Remus winced. Yes. Definitely anger.

 _Technically, he didn't eat it so much as steal it..._ , he wanted to say, but stopped himself. "I must have misplaced it. I get a lot of mail at the moment, and I don't bother to read most of it. Yours must have gotten mixed up." His tone was polite, but he didn't bother keeping the ice out of it. It was with a grim satisfaction that he saw pain flicker through her dark eyes.

"Is that why you're ignoring me, then?" she asked, defiantly crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Because people are sending you mean letters?"

Remus refused to meet her eyes. "I've been busy," he said, growing impatient himself. Why was she acting like this had nothing to do with her? Did she actually think he wouldn't know who'd told the ministry about his return to Hogwarts?

"Busy," Tonks repeated, disbelievingly. "Right. With what, listening to howlers? Drawing up your resignation letter? Or just the old hiding-from-the-world-routine?" She was definitely getting worked up now. "What have _I_ done to you? I thought we were..."

Remus couldn't take it any longer. "What have _you_ done?" he asked incredulously, aware that his voice had gotten rather loud. But he didn't care. "Are you really so naïve that you thought nothing was going to happen when you told them I was returning to Hogwarts? Did you think everyone would just sit by and applaud?"

There was a pause, and for a moment surprise replaced the anger in Tonks' face. Suddenly Remus knew he had made a colossal mistake.

"You think _I_ told that Skeeter bitch?" The anger was definitely back now, with a vengeance. "You're blaming _me_ for all this bullshit?" She snorted scornfully. "I thought after all this time you'd trust me enough to at least talk to me before jumping to conclusions."

Remus suddenly felt utterly despicable. Of course she hadn't told anybody. Tonks was a Hufflepuff, she was loyal and fierce and she'd never betray a friend's trust. And he'd simply ignored her, assuming the worst without even giving her a chance to defend herself.

 _Congratulations, you're the world's biggest prat._

"Ny-To-", he tried, with the burning need to apologize, but Tonks interrupted him.

"Don't you _dare_ Nymphadora me now, Remus," she hissed. "I can't believe you would just-"

She was interrupted herself, by a voice that Remus had never been more terrified to hear.

" _Nymphie_ is Sergie? You're shagging my _COUSIN!?_ "

* * *

 **Oops...**

 **(you all love cliffhangers, don't you?)**


	13. Family Reunion

**Not much time today, so without further ado, here's the next chapter :)**

* * *

 **Family Reunion**

" _Nymphie_ is Sergie? You're shagging my _COUSIN!?_ "

Remus felt his blood freeze. " _Snuffles!_ "

But it was too late. Tonks' eyes already widened, and for a second he thought she'd start screaming. Then he was reminded that she was, in fact, an Auror.

He was still so shocked that he barely even registered her drawing her wand, and only when, a split-second later, a beam of red light shot past his ear he sprang into action.

There was a pained yelp and a crash, as Sirius took shelter behind the coat stand. Another stunning spell shot past Remus, missing Sirius by inches and reducing the new coat that Remus had bought just a week prior to ashes.

"Tonks, _wait_!"

He drew his own wand, blocking Tonks next spell and leaping between her and Sirius, who was holding on to what was left of the coat stand in a shocked stupor, desperately fishing for his own wand.

"What the hell is this, Remus?" Tonks demanded, wand pointed directly at his face now, eyes flickering between him and the escaped convict. "Are you working with Black?"

Remus hesitated. He knew that one mistake would land both him and Sirius in Azkaban, or, more likely, in a decidedly unromantic snogging-session with a Dementor. He took a deep breath.

"Tonks, before you do anything, please just listen," he said calmly, or as calmly as was possible when you were standing between a convicted mass murderer and one very freaked out Auror. "Sirius is innocent. I can explain, but you'll have to trust me."

Tonks stared at him, and behind her fierce determination he could clearly see fear flicker through her eyes. He met her gaze, trying to reassure her, knowing very well that her faith in him probably wasn't at its highest right now.

"Sirius, throw down your wand," he said without turning his head, lowering his own before offering it to Tonks, grip first. Tonks didn't move to take it, so he threw it to the ground, still not looking away from her face. Behind him he heard the clatter of Sirius' own wand hitting the floor.

Tonks still didn't lower hers, but he could see doubt rising in her eyes. "Will you let me explain? I promise if you still want to arrest us after, we'll come willingly."

"Yeah, I bet you would," Sirius muttered angrily, although very quietly as even he seemed to have grasped the gravity of their situation.

For a moment Tonks simply stood there, staring at Remus. Then something in her expression changed, and slowly she lowered her wand. "You have ten minutes."

* * *

The kitchen was silent. It had been silent since almost three minutes now, when Remus had finished telling Tonks about the four boys at Hogwarts, the switching of secret keepers, Peter's ruse, Sirius' escape and that fateful confrontation in the Shrieking Shack just two months ago. Remus had gotten up and made tea, while Sirius was simply staring at Tonks and him alternately as if he expected something to happen.

"I can't believe it," Tonks finally muttered, taking the cup that Remus offered her and smiling at him faintly. "I mean, I do, I believe you, but it's just...all this time...I just can't believe it."

Remus sat down next to her, and, despite better judgement, took her hand and squeezed it. "I know," he said. "I found it hard to believe, too."

There was a snort across the table. "Yeah, well," Sirius snarled. " _I_ find it hard to believe you're dating my cousin without even telling me. What the fuck, Moony? We talked about her so much, _I've_ had fantasies about Sergie. And now... now she's my _cousin_! Do you have any idea how sick I feel?"

Remus let go of Tonks' hand immediately, hiding his head in his hands with a groan. He should have just let the dementors kiss the bastard. "For the last time, Sirius. I'm not dating Tonks." He dropped his hands, shooting the Auror a panicked look. "I didn't tell him anything of the sort, I swear. Azkaban damaged his brain, please disregard anything he says."

However, Tonks didn't seem to take offence, merely rising her eyebrows. "He thought you and I were...?" He gave a pained nod, and she grinned. "Well, I _did_ buy you dinner all those times..." They laughed, and Remus felt very relieved at her lack of anger, despite the terrible awkwardness of it all.

"Wait...what?" Sirius interrupted them, glancing between them incredulously as if they had just announced they were going to renounce magic and live as muggles. "You – You were _actually_ teaching her Russian!?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "As I told you. I tell the truth most of the time, actually, unlike some people who can't go through five minutes without lying through their teeth. Or stealing other peoples' mail."

Sirius ignored the comment. "So, just to clarify... you're not shagging my cousin?"

Remus felt colour rise in his face, and found himself meticulously avoiding looking in Tonks direction. "No, you dimwit," he muttered angrily.

"And you're not snogging her either? Not even a little bit?"

Remus slammed his head onto the table. "Tonks, can I borrow your wand? I want to kill him."

Tonks shook her head, eyeing Sirius with something between awe and fear. "It's so strange...All my life, I pictured you as this crazy murderer, and now you're just... just so _normal_."

" _Normal_ would be stretching it, I feel," Remus threw in, rising to his feet to retrieve their wands from the hallway.

"Yeah, but, you know...not a murdering psycho." Tonks shook her head again, as if to get rid of some flies. "So – you're just living here with Remus, posing as his dog?"

Sirius nodded. "And hiding a stolen hippogriff in his back garden."

"Who is disillusioned really badly," Remus pointed out when he returned, squinting through the tiny kitchen window. "You _knew_ she was coming over, and you still didn't fix him?"

Sirius shrugged. "It's dark. I figured she'd be too busy getting her ass kicked by you to fancy a stroll round the garden."

"Ass kicked?" Tonks repeated, and Remus felt his shame return.

"I'm sorry, Nymphadora. I should have trusted you."

"He's been moping around ever since that stupid article came out," Sirius informed her unhelpfully. "Thinking that you betrayed him at everything. The way he was acting, he really can't blame me to think you were dating; it was his standard post-break-up whine."

Remus didn't even react to that, resigning himself to the fact that he was not going away from this night with even so much as a shred of his dignity intact.

Tonks graciously ignored Sirius comments. "But you haven't changed your mind, have you?" she asked, suddenly sounding very serious again. "About Hogwarts. You're still going." There was a mix of hope and anxiousness in her voice now that made Remus heart beat faster. It was clear that Tonks wanted him to go. As for why... He didn't allow his mind to wander in that direction, but his heart still felt a lot lighter than it had for days.

"I asked Dumbledore if he could find a replacement, but if he doesn't, I'll go," he said, finding himself hoping for the first time that there would not be another applicant. "At least until the ministry finds a way to kick me out again."

There was a terrible crackling sound followed by the smell of burnt socks, and Remus jumped to his feet. "Blast, I totally forgot-" He hurried over to the living room, where the radio had not only stopped working, but was now giving off scarlet sparks in addition to its usual purple smoke. Cursing, he drew his wand, trying to salvage what he could.

"Is it dead? Please tell me it's finally dead," Sirius said lazily, strolling in after him followed by a slightly alarmed Tonks.

"Do you need help?" she asked.

Sirius snorted. "Don't. I've been trying to get him to throw it away for weeks, don't encourage him." He sat down on the sofa, motioning for her to join him. "He might be busy for a while. So you're an Auror, then? Andromeda must be thrilled."

Tonks threw one last worried look towards the radio, but then sat down next to him with an amused huff. "Threw a huge tantrum. Even tried to forbid me to apply. And then when I was at Mungo's after falling down some stupid ledge on my first day in actual training, and she met Mad-Eye when he came to visit me, she actually started crying, thinking that this was what I was gonna look like soon." She grinned sheepishly. "I think she's still not over it; she keeps trying to set me up with random guys all the time. Last Christmas she forced me to go shopping for some cousin's toddler with her, probably thinking I'd suddenly produce some grandkids if she just threw enough tiny pink onesies in my face."

Sirius chuckled. "Yeah, that does sound like Andie... Are you seeing anyone, then? Apart from Moony, I mean."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Don't really have the time. And Mum has horrible taste; the last guy she set me up with was a total bore from the Goblin Liaison Office. Told me how useful it would be being able to morph one's tongue, because humans can't really pronounce most of the Goblin words properly. Then he demonstrated, and after that there was so much spit droplets on my steak I faked a work call and legged it."

Sirius was roaring with laughter, actually dropping of his seat now. "That's…that's just…brilliant!" He collapsed again, laughing even harder. "Please take me along to your next date!"

"I really wouldn't advise that.", Remus piped in, grinning a little even though he knew he should feel sorry for Tonks about her romantic disaster. "He's got fleas, and he smells. Not very helpful with romance, I should think."

Sirius made a rude gesture. "Piss off, Moony. Don't you have a piece of junk to mourn?"

As if in response, the radio hummed weakly, and gave off some more smoke, this time of a pale violet. Remus went back to tapping it with his wand, muttering spells and listening to Sirius and Tonks chatter about all the stuff the animagus had missed while in prison.

Occasionally the radio gave off signs of life, fleeting bits of music or news, and Remus concluded that the Irish must have won the World Cup. He was relieved the game hadn't taken longer; it would mean that Harry would be back at the Burrow sooner, away from the chaotic crowds. Skeeter's article had also mentioned that the infamous werewolf had recently started sharing his home with the boy who lived, and with all the anger directed at him Remus couldn't help but fear that maybe some people would attack Harry…

"Hufflepuff!?" Sirius' indignant cry tore him away from his fears. "You were in _Hufflepuff?_ Merlin's sagging balls –"

A loud static noise from the radio cut him off, and Remus hastily tapped it with his wand, starting to apologize when the programme suddenly got clearer, and a newscaster's voice rang out in the living room.

"-scenes of panic at theQuidditch World Cup. As of yet we do not know who those people are or what their aim his, but there are reports of several fires braking out in the camping ground, and-" The radio spluttered into silence, raining down sparks on Remus, but he didn't even notice his singed sleeves.

For a moment they were completely silent, staring at each other in utter shock. Sirius recovered first, jumping to his feet. "I'm apparating there right now."

Remus followed, dropping the radio, which was now melting plastic, into the fireplace. "No, you're not. The site will be swarming with Aurors; you're staying here. I'll go."

"I don't care. Harry-"

"Won't thank you if you get yourself killed. _Stay here._ I'll contact you as soon as I know what's going on."

"If he's in danger, and I-"

"If there's serious trouble, I'll call you," Remus interrupted him, knowing he'd never do that, "Please think of Harry. You promised James and Lily you'd be there for him, so _be there_. Be responsible, for once."

He didn't wait for an answer, instead running off to the front door. But Tonks grabbed his sleeve, stopping him. "Remus, I don't think you should be there either," she said, voice oddly calm and determined. Obviously her Auror side had taken over. "You're right; the ministry is looking for ways to get rid of you. And being seen at whatever is going on, without even having been to the game…"

"Harry-", Remus began, but she cut him off.

"I'll find him. I'll tell you what's going on as soon as I know. Just…stay here, okay? Harry needs both of you." Her grip on his arm tightened, and as he looked into her eyes Remus felt his resolve dwindle.

"Alright."

"No." Sirius stepped forward, determination in his grey eyes. "Either you go or I do, Remus. I'm not leaving this to her."

Remus winced at the sudden cold in his friend's voice. "Sirius, Tonks is an Auror. She-"

"I don't care who she is.", Sirius shot back. "She's my cousin, so what? I don't know her, Moony. I haven't seen her since she was a kid; I have no idea what kind of woman she is. I'm not leaving Harry's fate to a stranger."

"Yeah, well I don't know you either, and I'm still not arresting you when I clearly should," Tonks snapped.

Sirius was unimpressed. "I'm sorry, Tonks. But I have no reason to trust you."

Remus was getting fed up; they were wasting time arguing. "But _I do_ , Sirius. I trust Tonks. And she's right, me being there might actually make things worse for Harry. So if you don't trust her, trust _me_."

There was a moment when they were simply staring at each other, and Remus could see the same question going through both of their heads: Once they had been brothers, until war and death had shattered that bond. Would they ever be able to rebuild the trust they had lost?

He didn't know the answer, but for now it was enough. Sirius nodded curtly, turning away from Tonks. "Be careful," Remus said quietly, and Tonks smiled at him half-heartedly before disappearing into the night.

When the door had closed behind her, Sirius let out a snort. " _Be careful_? Gee, Moony. You're _totally_ into her."

But his voice didn't hold its usual mischievous ring. Neither of them felt like talking as the animagus settled down on the sofa, while Remus returned to the fireplace, trying to salvage what he could from the ruined radio. After half an hour he gave up, joining Sirius in staring at the opposite wall in silence, jumping at every little sound.

It was almost an hour before Tonks returned, her hair flecked with ash and several large gashes on one arm. The news she brought were only reassuring for a moment.

* * *

"The Dark Mark?" Sirius repeated, incredulously. Remus merely stared at her, horror rising in him as memories of death and terror returned.

 _No. He's gone. It's over._

"Those Death Eaters ran when they saw it," Tonks continued. "We couldn't even catch a single one of them. It's embarrassing really."

"So it wasn't the Death Eaters who conjured it?" Remus asked.

Tonks shook her head, frowning. "Not one of those at the camping ground, anyway. Proudmoor said it was Barty Crouch's elf – they found her seconds after it was cast, and she was holding the wand which had done it – but I find that hard to believe. It was Harry's, by the way. The wand. He lost it or something and she picked it up; Proudmoor said he and his friends were there when they arrived. Nearly stunned them, those idiots."

"They send stunning spells at children!?" Sirius cried, rising to his feet as if he planned on apparating to the ministry right now.

Remus hastily pulled him down again by his robes. "But Harry's okay? And the others?"

Tonks nodded. "They're back at their tent, as I said. Apparently Crouch went a bit mental and tried to accuse Harry for a moment, but of course no one seriously believed that. Harry won't be in trouble. Unlike that elf; Crouch fired her."

Sirius laughed bitter. "Yeah, he would. So half a campsite burnt down, a family of muggles tortured and the Dark Mark appears, and all the ministry manage to catch is a bleeding house-elf?" He whistled. "Merlin, they're even more incompetent than in our days. No offence, Tonks."

The young Auror shrugged. "We did fuck up. It was that stupid Mark; we were moments away from putting up the anti-apparition wards."

"You did what you could, Tonks. You prevented anything worse from happening to those muggles, and all the other people," Remus said, rising to make them all a cup of tea. "No-one got killed, that's a success in itself."

"Yeah, well, no one got caught either. Now those bastards know they can just get away with it. You heard Tonks, there were people _cheering_ for them. It'll happen again, Moony."

Remus knew that he was probably right. There were still a lot of people who agreed on principle with Voldemort's agenda. And now, with the war fading from living memory as a new generation came into adulthood, a generation who had only known the terror of those days from stories, the old ideas were rising up once more.

 _Did we really fight that war for nothing?_

"Well, there is one plus," Tonks interrupted their dark musings, grinning. "This will totally knock the werewolf professor off the front page."

* * *

 **I thought about showing the action at the World Cup first hand, but since it went down pretty similar to what was in the book, I decided against it. In case you're wondering, so far nothing is different from the way it played out in Canon (except for Voldy being definitely dead, that is)  
**

 **Review, maybe? :)**


	14. A Staff Meeting

**There was a bit of confusion last time, so to clear it up, here's the background of this story again:**

 **Voldemort died the night he tried to kill Harry, as he had never created the Horcruxes. The events of GoF so far are still unchanged (with the exception of that dream Harry had at the beginning - Frank the muggle still lives! Hooray!), but of course the people/reasons behind it are different. Not gonna go into detail here, as that would be spoiling it.**

 **purplepixie13: I'm afraid it'll still take him a while...he probably knows already, but admitting it to himself...**

 **alix33: I don't think it's Andromeda's right to tell her daughter what to do with her life either, but I think I can understand her position. I don't want to make any wrong assumptions, but I'm guessing that your jobs did not entail mortal danger. And one must not forget that Andromeda actually lived through a war where her life was constantly, and very seriously, threatened, so of course she's a bit wary. Plus, Tonks was 18 when she signed up for Auror training. While that technically makes her an adult, I find it only natural that parents would still consider her a child (I hadn't even left school at 18, and I'm pretty sure my parents would have objected to me joining the military). But, of course, at the end of a day it's Tonks' own decision, and Andromeda accepts it, even if she might not like it. She just had a hard time getting used to it.**

 **CaskettFan5: He should have, but he was probably too relieved for everything to have worked out so well. I think secretly he's quite happy at how things have turned out, since he now doesn't have to lie to Sirius or Tonks anymore.  
**

 **Annabel Lioncourt: Glad to have brightened your day! I hope things improve soon :)**

* * *

 **A Staff Meeting**

Tonks was right. Whether it was due to novelty wearing off – it had been almost a week, after all – or the events at the World Cup, there wasn't even one mention of Remus in the Daily Prophet the next morning, not even a general piece against werewolves. Instead it brandished a lengthy rant over the failings of the ministry that Sirius agreed full-heartedly with until he came to the end and realized it had actually been written by Rita Skeeter.

" _Several dead bodies_... Merlin's balls, the office is gonna be hell. Scrimgeour will go ballistic," Tonks muttered, nibbling her toast. "Thank God I wasn't on duty last night... although given I was there, he might draw me into it anyway." She glanced at the window, where the sun was just rising over the tree tops. "Mind of I stay a while longer? Maybe the ministry owls won't find me here..."

Sirius laughed. "That's the Black spirit!"

Remus found himself smiling as well as he watched them, despite the grim news from last night. They had convinced Tonks to stay the night, as it had been far past midnight by the time she had tried to leave, and was in no shape to apparate safely. It hadn't taken much persuasion, and so she was sitting at breakfast with them now, wearing one of Sirius' shirts that looked ridiculously large on her. (And had led to some raised eyebrows on her side – "Hobgoblins? Really? I'm not being seen in public with this.")

"Have you heard from your father yet?" Remus asked. To his shame he had completely forgotten that Tonks had had just as much reason as they did to worry last night, and it was only after she had left that he had remembered. But luckily, Ted Tonks had been unharmed.

By curses, anyway. According to Tonks he'd been thoroughly plastered when she'd found him after everything was over, and she had left him at his tent.

"No. I don't think he'll be up before noon, to be honest. He doesn't drink often, but when he does..."She shook her head. "I should probably floo Mum to keep her from apparating there herself. If she finds him in that state he'll wish the Death Eaters had gotten him. Can I use your fireplace?"

Remus nodded, rising to his feet. "Sure, let me just lift the wards for you."

When he came back into the kitchen to give Tonks some privacy, he found Sirius staring at the place where she had sat, a gloomy expression on his face. "I shouldn't have said all those things to her."

It took Remus a moment to understand what he was talking about. "You were worried about Harry. And you _had_ only just met her."

"That's what makes it worse. She shouldn't be a stranger to me. I _knew_ her; I've known Nymphie since she was born. And now she's just... this woman, and I didn't even recognize her. It's like I took a time turner into the future, and now everything is different and changed. Except I'm old as well."

Remus gave a short laugh at that last comment, but his expression quickly turned sombre again. "You've got a chance to catch up now. Make up for all the missed years, like with Harry." He didn't even try to console Sirius over the time he had lost, because he knew that nothing he said could bring it back. Sirius would never watch Tonks board the Hogwarts express, never tell her all about the secret passageways like he had planned. Those chances had passed.

"Right." Sirius said, smiling a little now. "It'll be fun, won't it? Going back to Hogwarts together...with Harry, and Nymphie..."

" _Nymphie_!?" Tonks came back into the kitchen, staring at her cousin in open disgust. "Call me that again, and I won't even bother calling the dementors, I'll just hex off your balls myself."

Sirius seemed unsure whether her threat was serious, and proactively put his hands into his lap. "I used to call you that all the time!" he protested once his private parts were sufficiently shielded, "It never bothered you!"

Before Tonks could react, Remus decided to end the matter peacefully. "May I remind you", he said, smiling mischievously at his friend, "That in those days she also called you 'Siri'?"

The silence in the kitchen as he got up and walked over to the front door told him that name-wise, the two cousins had reached a stalemate.

* * *

Mr Weasley and Percy had just left for the ministry on the morning after the World Cup when there was a knock on the door. Harry looked up, anxious. Ever since he had seen how worried Mrs Weasley had been he had wondered if Remus and Sirius had heard as well, and what they might have done – Sirius was not known for his calm and measured reactions.

It was Remus who stood in the doorframe when Mrs Weasley opened the door, but although his face was tired and pale, he looked nowhere near as terrified as Mrs Weasley had been.

"Good morning," he said, smiling at the Weasley matriarch politely, "I apologize for the interruption, but after what has been going on-" His eyes wandered over her shoulder and found Harry's, and a relieved smile appeared on his lips. "Harry."

"Oh but of course! You must be worried sick!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, although there was a slight frown on her face. Harry wondered if she had expected Remus to show up earlier, and be more obviously distressed. Come to think of it, he did seem oddly calm, and not at all surprised to see them all in one piece. He nodded at her and made his way over to Harry, who had gotten to his feet.

"I heard about what happened. Are you alright?" Remus put a hand on his shoulder and his eyes searched Harry's face, obviously looking for any sign of damage or trauma.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, we're all fine. Is Snuffles-"

"At home," Remus answered swiftly, and Harry felt relief surge over him. "Did they give you back your wand?"

Harry frowned. "My...wand? How do you-?"

"Tonks told me what happened," Remus answered, and at Harry's confused frown added: "The Auror. I would have apparated there myself last night, but given recent...developments that might not have been wise. She was there last night and told me what happened in the forest."

Harry stared, confused. "The Auror...do you mean Sergie?"

The last time he had checked Remus had ignored her letters and left the room whenever Sirius mentioned her. But the werewolf only nodded curtly. "I'll tell you later. It wasn't her." His gaze flickered over to the assembled Weasleys, who were listening more or less openly, and Harry realized that something big must have happened. He nodded. "Okay. Do you want me to come home?"

Remus hastily shook his head, stepping back. "Oh, no. I just wanted to see you, make sure you're okay. I won't interrupt your morning any longer." He turned to Mrs Weasley with an apologetic smile, but she simply waved her hands.

"Nonsense! Sit down, you look like you could do with a cup of tea." Remus hesitated, and Harry could see his discomfort, but he knew that with Mrs Weasley, there was no arguing.

"Morning, Professor Lupin," Fred greeted Remus with a broad grin as he sat down next to Harry. "Is it true that you'll be teaching again?"

Remus winced visibly, eyes flickering over to the stove where Mrs Weasley had stopped in her work, tensing. Slowly, the werewolf nodded. "Yes, it is."

"Awesome!" The twins exclaimed in unison, and Hermoine smiled as well.

"That's great, Professor Lupin! I was hoping you'd come back." At the enthusiastic reply Remus looked both embarrassed and a little bit pleased. The tension left his shoulders, and as Mrs Weasley was handing him a steaming mug the smile on his face looked almost sincere. Especially as she beamed back at him instead of showing him the door, telling him to stay away from her children as he had probably expected

"Wait – does that mean we'll actually have to do the homework you set us over the summer?" George asked, suddenly looking very worried. "Because – well, as a general rule we never bother with Defence; the teacher's gone the next year anyway."

Mrs Weasley's face darkened at that, but Remus obviously struggled to hide his amusement. "I daresay I will expect you to, yes. I did leave notes to my successor, though, so you'd have had to do it in either case."

Fred shrugged. "Well, we thought we might get a tosspot like Lockhart again, who didn't care – you didn't check if we did his summer assignment, did you?"

Something must have happened while he was gone, Harry thought as he was watching the amused twinkle in Remus eyes that had been absent for days, something good.

"I didn't," he agreed. "Though that was mostly down to self-preservation. I do not think I could have stomached reading about four hundred essays on Gilderoy Lockhard's hair care products. It was hard enough getting those pictures off the walls."

Harry laughed with the others at that. _Yes. Definitely something good._ He had seen Remus joke like this often, but usually only in the company of him and Sirius, maybe Ron. Never in front of so many people, some of whom he didn't even know.

"Tonks?" Charlie suddenly spoke up, a thoughtful look on his face. The others turned towards him, and he grinned. "Sorry, bit slow. But you mentioned an Auror named Tonks. Would that be Nymphadora Tonks?"

Immediately, Remus shoulders tensed again as he regarded the unknown young man in front of him. "Yes," he said slowly, a guarded expression on his face. Harry desperately wished he knew what had happened.

"How do you know her, then?" Charlie asked further, apparently oblivious to Remus' sudden change in mood, adding: "She's an old friend of mine, we went to school together."

"I gathered," Remus answered, before forcing a very convincing smile on his lips. "I'm teaching her Russian." Across the table, Harry saw Ron open his mouth in obvious shock, about to say something when Hermoine elbowed him in the ribs.

"Russian?" Charlie laughed. "Why on earth would she want to learn that?"

Remus smiled, lips pressed tightly together. "For a mission, I believe."

Charlie frowned, then, realization crept on his face. "Oh! Is this-" he looked over to Remus. "Do you know what it is? Is it the... _you know_?" His head jerked towards Harry and the others.

Remus regarded Charlie for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"So she'll be there? Cool!" Charlie grinned, and Harry shared a confused look with Ron, who seemed just as lost as he was.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

Charlie's grin broadened as he looked over to Ron. "Sorry, little brother. You'll see soon enough."

Harry turned to Remus. "Can you-"

"No, Harry," Remus shook his head, "I can't tell you, I'm sorry." He got to his feet. "Thank you for the tea, Mrs Weasley, but I think I should better head out."

He said his good-byes, rather strained, and when Charlie called "Say hi to Tonks for me, will you!" after him Harry was certain he saw something like anger flash through Remus' eyes.

He wondered who this Tonks woman might be, and if Sirius had been right about her after all.

* * *

There was still a few days of holidays left when Remus found himself in front of the Hogwarts gate again for the first time since he had left two months ago, in the certain knowledge that he would not be returning.

Dumbledore had called a staff meeting, presumably to discuss the Triwizard Tournament that was being held this year, and Remus couldn't help but be nervous. He hadn't faced Snape, or any of the other teachers, since June, and even though Dumbledore had assured him of their acceptance he couldn't help but feel anxious concerning their reactions.

 _Well, it won't get any better by standing around._

After almost three minutes of staring he finally set himself in motion, only for the soft plop of apparition to sound behind him. "Remus, wait up!" He turned around to see a very familiar Auror jogging towards him.

"Nymphadora! What are you doing here?" He was surprised, but secretly very happy to see her. With all the fallout from the World Cup incident their lessons had become fewer and fewer, as Tonks was far too busy. Remus understood, of course, and she was probably good enough by now to not get fired for lying to Scrimgeour, but he still couldn't help but miss their shared evenings.

"It's Tonks, you git. I'm here for a meeting, same as you I think. Dumbledore wants me to meet the staff." She grinned at him. "One down, the rest to go, I guess."

Remus smiled at her – lately he almost always found himself smiling when she was around, which should worry him a lot more than it did – and bowed a little. "Pleasure to meet you, Auror Tonks. Remus Lupin, Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Tonks giggled as she shook his hand. "Tonks is fine. How's teaching, then? I heard you specialize in boggarts."

Remus groaned as they started to make their way up to the castle. "I am not going to drag a student of mine in front of a boggart just so you can watch Snape in a dress."

Ever since she'd learnt he was going to teach again Tonks had been pestering him to demonstrate Neville Longbottom's boggart. "Can't you offer him extra credits for it? House points? There was this one Defence teacher in my third year, and he'd give you house points if you so much as held a door for him. Sybil Macmillan won us the house cup that year just by carrying his briefcase."

"I hope I can pride myself of a little more integrity than that," Remus said in mock affront.

Tonks was undeterred. "What about bribery? If I just happened to drop a bar of Honeydukes finest by your office..."

He arched an eyebrow. "Padfoot would steal it, eat it and then be sick all over my carpet."

There was silence for a while. Then: "Hypothetically – where would you find a boggart?"

Remus laughed. "I'm pretty sure the ministry would fire you if you went around school setting boggarts on the kids." After a short pause, he added: "That aside, it's a lot harder to set up than you'd think. If you set if free in an area that's too crowded it'll get confused, and probably try and flee. You're only real chance is at night, when no one's around, but then you have to get your target out of bed as well. It's really not worth the effort."

Tonks stared at him suspiciously. "You have given this a lot of thought, haven't you?"

Remus couldn't help but give a mischievous smile. "Not enough, really, given we got caught. Turns out hiding it in a toilet is not the best route - don't ask"

Tonks nearly doubled over with laughter. "You actually tried this when you were at school?"

Remus nodded slowly. "Not our brightest hour, I must say. James' idea, although the toilet part was of course Sirius' plan. Earned us a month of detentions and a rather mortifying howler from Mrs Potter. Merlin, that woman could shout..."

"Who'd you try to scare?" Tonks asked, still grinning. Remus hesitated, his good mood dying as quickly as it had come. "A boy we didn't like very much," he said after a while. They had reached the portal now, and he pulled open the door for her. "We did a lot of cruel things to him, and I am not proud of any of them. We were obnoxious bullies back then, really. This way."

He led her down a corridor to their right, past the stairs that let down to the kitchens, not meeting her eyes. It was easy to forget, reminiscing with Sirius about the past, telling Harry about their glorious Marauder adventures, that really for most of their time at Hogwarts they had behaved anything but glorious.

And while he found it justified to hide the dark parts from Harry so that he could remember his father as the man he had grown to be instead of the insufferable teenager he had once been, it felt wrong to boast in front of Tonks with those same lies.

And boasting was what he had been doing, no matter how hard he tried to deny it. Remembering the old days, when he had been popular, young, and full of optimism... when he had been like Tonks, someone that she might... He stopped himself as they reached the door to the staff room.

Tonks had been silent since they had entered the castle, obviously sensing his sudden change in mood, but now she spoke again. "Merlin, this is gonna be awkward. They were my _teachers_...and now I'm going to work _with_ them!"

Remus chuckled. "You're talking to the man who was once dragged out of a boy's toilet by Professor McGonagall, drenched in something that sadly wasn't water, after a boggart had scared a first year. If I survived the awkwardness last year, you will, too."

 _And who has been outed as a werewolf, left the school in disgrace and since returned to national outcry. They'll be far too busy hating me to even notice you._

He opened the door and let her pass before entering himself. It was half chivalrous gesture, half cowardly hope that they might be too blinded by Tonks bubble gum pink hair to notice him enter after her.

Of course, the older Professors, who had known him as a student had all known about his condition during the last year already, as had Snape, but to the others it had been news. Professor Trelawny had actually predicted a great darkness in his life, but seeing as she did that to everybody it was probably a lucky guess rather than actual knowledge.

It wasn't as bad as he had expected, really. Of course, the glares Snape sent in his direction were more murderous than ever, and Professor Burbage seemed rather relieved when it was Tonks who sat down in the empty seat next to her and not Remus, but apart from that there was nothing but polite smiles – Professor Vektor even looked sympathetic, throwing him a broad smile that was probably meant to be encouraging.

"And, finally, the ministry have once again seen fit to grant us some extra security," Dumbledore's voice pulled him out of his observations of his colleagues, and Remus turned to look at Tonks, who was rapidly blushing when Dumbledore had suddenly addressed her. "Which is why Auror Tonks will join us this year, to make our students and guests feel safe."

"Wotcher." Tonks smiled at the assembled professors somewhat sheepishly, clearly uncomfortable but determined to stand her ground.

"I wasn't aware the school was in any sort of danger," a cold voice sneered from the end of the table, where Snape had finally interrupted trying to kill Remus with his eyes and was now fixating Tonks with a disdainful little smile. "Or that a ministry trainee would be of much help if it were."

The roots of Tonks' hair started to turn flaming red, as did her face, but she didn't flinch away from her former Professor. "The ministry thinks it appropriate to have an Auror stationed here for the duration of the Triwizard Tournament. If you'd rather have the dementors back, I'm sure the minister will be happy to receive your owl."

Remus was pretty certain that Snape would have preferred dementors around the castle, but the potions teacher merely threw her one last withering look before returning his attention to Remus. He ignored him, catching Tonks eye instead and giving her an encouraging half-smile. If she had managed to talk down Snape like that, facing her other professors certainly would not be a challenge.

"I can hardly believe that wild Tonks girl went and became an Auror," Professor Vektor said to him in a quiet voice when the official meeting was over and the usual chatter broke out while they were getting ready to leave.

Remus nodded slowly, eyes flickering over to Tonks who was talking to Professor Sprout now. "It certainly is an achievement. I believe they haven't accepted anyone since she joined."

"Oh, yes, certainly. But I still see her as a student. Somehow you never stop, don't you agree?"

Remus, who suddenly felt a whole lot more uncomfortable with this conversation, gave a vague nod. "I suppose. Did you teach her?" He couldn't imagine Tonks, who was challenged when it came to calculating her wages, taking Arithmancy.

Professor Vektor laughed. "Oh, no. I'm afraid she wouldn't have lasted a week; not a mathematical mind at all." Somehow, despite Remus having thought the exact same thing just now, the words sounded much more insulting coming from her. "But of course I knew her, everyone did. Terrible troublemaker, that one, got into detention even more often than the Weasley twins. It's strange, seeing her all grown up. Makes you feel old, doesn't it?"

For the first time in his life, Remus was relieved to see Severus Snape approaching.

"So, Lupin," he drawled, completely ignoring Vektor next to him who hurriedly excused herself and vanished. "Managed to worm your way back in, have you?"

Remus was struggling very hard to remain calm, but he managed to supress the sudden anger, and answered politely: "The headmaster asked me to return, yes."

He hadn't spoken to Snape since that day in the Shrieking Shack, and the morning after when Snape all but ruined his career. Or so they had thought at the time.

"I dread to imagine what the parents will think," Snape continued. "The headmaster might be forced to remove Defence from the list of mandatory subjects. You can hardly force children to sit a class where they fear for their lives."

Before Remus could even think about how to reply to that, a cheerful voice behind him said: "Oh, I dunno, Professor. We were all scared of you, and they still made us take potions. If they manage that, I'm sure they can handle Professor Lupin here."

Snape's face paled and his black eyes focused on Tonks who had appeared beside Remus. "Believe me, if it had been up to me you would not have been in my class." With that he turned around, robes billowing behind him as he went.

"Blimey, what's wrong with him?" Tonks commented conversationally, shaking her head. "I mean, he's always been a bit of a wanker, but this...he got a problem with werewolves?"

Remus managed a thin smile, though he felt no amusement. "Only with this one," he muttered, finally tearing his gaze away from the door. "I think I will be going now. Good day, Auror Tonks." He rapidly made for the exit, relieved when Dumbledore called Tonks and she couldn't follow him.

Somehow, despite the meeting having gone well in terms of his original fears, he felt very downcast.

 _If you'd come to Hogwarts just a few years earlier, she really would have been your student._

But he hadn't, and she wasn't.

 _Doesn't change the fact that you're an old lecher._

* * *

"How'd it go?" Sirius greeted him when he entered Birch Cottage, a bottle of butterbeer in one hand and a letter in the other. "This is from Emmeline. She can't take him after all; they cancelled the project. Apparently there was an accident with some muggle farm and they lost their license."

Remus cursed under his breath, dropping his patched travelling cloak unceremoniously on the only half-heartedly repaired coat stand. And here he had been wondering if his mood could possibly get any worse...

They had finally found a solution for Buckbeak a week ago, when Remus, in a desparate bid, had contacted Emmeline Vance, an old friend from their Order days who he had heard was working with Magical Creatures now. Of course he couldn't tell her the whole story, so he had just told her he needed a place for a hippogriff, implying that it might be best if they kept it quiet. He didn't know if Emmeline made the connection – after all, the case of Buckbeak had been in the Prophet, and she was sure to have followed it with interest – but if she had she made no comment, promising instead to keep her eyes open. And she had indeed found something, a colony of hippogriffs that had been released into the wild in Norway, where they were hoping to raise a stable population and were always looking for new blood. But of course, the stroke of luck hadn't lasted.

"What now?" Remus asked, accepting a butterbeer without comment and heavily dropping into a kitchen chair. "We can't bring him back to Hagrid, they'd recognize him."

"Dunno, but I'm sort of happy. He's really grown on me; I'd have hated to see him go." Sirius looked outside the open back door, where Buckbeak was – once again fully visible – dozing in the light of the setting sun.

"Well, what do you propose? I'm not having him in my office! We can't leave him on his own, so either you go into hiding with him, or we're going to have to send him away."

"Maybe you can ask Dumbledore for a bigger office?" Sirius expertly dodged the butterbeer cork flying in his direction, laughing. "How'd go, anyway? Snivellus say anything?"

"Just the usual." Remus shrugged, sifting through the letters Sirius had left on the kitchen table (after having read them, of course). "Had a go at Tonks, but she told him off. The others were all very polite, a lot more so than I'd have expected."

"That's cos you expect everybody to treat you like shit," Sirius pointed out, unimpressed. "So Nymphie was there? Why didn't you bring her with you?"

Remus immediately regretted mentioning her. "She's an Auror; I expect she has work to do," he shrugged, not looking at his friend. "And a social life that does not involve a convict and a werewolf."

There was a letter from his mother. He supposed he should visit her before leaving for Hogwarts, even though he didn't feel like it at all. Sighing, he pocketed it for later and picked up the Evening Prophet.

"Well, she seemed perfectly happy with spending all her nights with you, didn't she?"

"I was teaching her." Remus didn't look up from his paper, fighting hard to keep his face calm.

"Why aren't you now, then?"

"I don't know, she's probably busy. Look, if you want to see her so badly, just owl her."

"I can't, I'm a dog. You owl her."

"Just sign it Snuffles, for Merlin's sake. How old are you, five?"

"I'll write your name on it."

Sirius left the kitchen in search of parchment and ink, leaving Remus to groan into his paper. Hopefully, Tonks really was busy.

Outside, Buckbeak let out a indignant squeak when the sun finally dropped behind the tree tops, robbing him of his heat source.

"What are we gonna do with you, then?" Remus muttered, absentmindedly admiring the soft grey feathers. He might be a huge nuisance and hate Remus' guts, but he was undeniably beautiful, in his own, wild way. Remus would be sad to leave him behind.

* * *

"You know, I could ask my parents. They've got a garden shed they barely use."

Of course, Tonks hadn't been busy. And of course she had been the only one able to come up with an even madder idea than Sirius' ' _let's hide a life hippogriff in a teacher's office'_.

* * *

 **Andromeda will be thrilled...  
**

 **Forgot to mention it last time, but I actually uploaded another story ("Down By The Lakeside"), which tells the story of how James and Lily got together (I know, very original). It's the first Harry Potter fanfic I ever wrote, back when I was still writing in German. I'm currently translating and uploading it, and the reason I mention it here is that it's set in the same universe. When writing this, I took it as my "canon" and there are some callbacks to it in here - technically, I suppose you could call it a prequel, even though the connection is very weak. In case you're interested, feel free to check it out :)  
**

 **Oh, and don't forget to review ;)**


	15. The Feathered Asylum Seeker

**Took me a bit longer than planned, sorry.**

 **Skybox: Having Sirius in Hogwarts is stupidly dangerous, yes, and I'll admit it's probably a bit out of character for Dumbledore, Remus or even Harry to agree to it. But I figured it was justified with the AU setting of this, which generally makes the whole story a bit more light-hearted/fluff/fun. The idea of Sirius and Remus living in Hogwarts together was really the whole reason for me writing this...**

 **CaskettFan5: Thanks! I felt it justified for Harry to be a little more observant, given he is now living with Remus and Sirius. In canon he barely knew Remus on a personal level or even spent much time with him after the third year, so it makes sense that he didn't catch on then.**

 **Alicia Olivia Mirza: Fair point about Snape and his Death Eater pals, but I don't think that justifies bullying them, especially not since James and Sirius started in first year already, when neither of them was a dark wizard. And even if it did, I feel like it would be very in character for Remus to blame himself anyway...**

 **CaseLC: He might at some point, but right now neither he nor Sirius are planning to enlighten Harry, given there isn't any real need. They probably feel like Harry wouldn't understand it or be too upset about it - as he was in canon - so they will probably postpone it for as long as they can.**

 **Guest: I have to admit that I did not plan out the exact workings of this AU universe, at least not those parts that are of no consequence for the story. The general idea is that Quirrel still tried to steal the Stone but without Voldemort in his head, and that the diary was still possessed by Tom Riddle, but without being a Horcrux. (People didn't have a problem with this before HBP came out, did they? I'll just take whatever explanation we had back then.) I know this is all a bit squishy, but I feel like it really doesn't matter to this story so I decided not to spend a month researching the exact mechanics of what would have happened differently.**

 **alix33: He does now chocolate is bad for dogs, hence the "and vomit all over my carpet" comment. He just doesn't show a great deal of sympathy because in his mind (and I agree) Sirius really should be old enough to know that for himself. That, and stealing his chocolate generally does not endear you to Remus in any way.**

 **RandomShtScinceWhenever: Was it? I did not bother to check, I'll have to admit. But I vaguely remembered that Remus wasn't presence at the Christmas dinner in the book, so I just figured it was a full moon.**

* * *

 **The Feathered Asylum Seeker**

" _You know, I could ask my parents. They've got a garden shed they barely use."_

Two pairs of eyes stared at her in disbelief, one face slowly splitting into an enthusiastic grin, the other collapsing in open horror.

"That's brilliant!"

"Absolutely not."

* * *

Tonks had just returned to her apartment when the snowy owl had flown threw her window. She'd been planning to go down to the Leaky – it had been a while since she had spent an evening drinking with colleagues, and Kingsley had said they were meeting there tonight – but she quickly abandoned the plans when she unfolded the parchment.

 _Evening Tonks,_

 _Care for a night in? If you have nothing planned, why don't you come by; we'd love the company._

 _Remus_

For a moment she had simply stared at the crumbled parchment in her hand. Remus had never invited her over, never even written to her outside of the lessons. And yet here it was... what was it, actually? It couldn't really be a date, could it? After all, he'd written _we_ , so obviously Sirius was included (and how couldn't he be, really, given that he wasn't allowed to leave the house). Still, she could not prevent the nervous excitement rising in her while she swapped her work robes for her usual attire of ripped jeans and a shirt (a Weird Sisters one, just to annoy Sirius who claimed all current music was shit, especially those she listened to) and settling onto an electric blue for her hair.

When she arrived at Birch Cottage half an hour later it was Remus who opened the door, holding a book and a mug of tea and obviously on his way to the living room. "Evening, Nymphadora. What did Sirius write, then?"

Tonks expression fell, and for a moment she had to fight an overwhelming nausea. Of course it had been Sirius. She knew Remus well enough by now to know he'd never write something like that. And she should have recognized the different hand writing...some Auror she was.

"Stop being a prat and let her in!" Sirius voice rang from somewhere inside the house, sparing Tonks from having to find an answer when Remus hastily took a step back, signalling for her to move through.

"I hope he didn't make any promises he can't keep – he drank pretty much all the alcohol last night."

"I told you to buy more!" Sirius shouted, still out of sight.

Remus threw Tonks a roguish grin. "I did," he whispered conspiratorially, blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "But I hid it behind the book shelf; he'll never find it."

Tonks felt her disappointment seeping away as she couldn't supress a (terribly girly) giggle. Never mind the reason why she was here, a night in with Remus and Sirius couldn't possibly be anything but brilliant.

As it turns out, it was also very exciting.

"Why not?" Tonks asked. "They've got a big garden, and Mum's not too bad with Charms, she'll manage to disillusion him for a couple of hours a week so he can jump around outside a bit."

Remus shook his head, running his hands over his face. "To clarify: You want us – _me_ , really, since Padfoot is a dog – to go over to Andromeda, _Andromeda Tonks_ , former keeper of the most proper lawn in the history of Hogsmeade, and ask her to hide a stolen hippogriff in her garden shed?"

"Well, you gotta admit the competition was dreadful. Barely any of the other houses even _had_ a lawn," Sirius objected, but Tonks had to concede that Remus had a point. Her mother was one of the most _correct_ people she knew, much to the suffering of her ever-clumsy daughter. Tonks couldn't remember a time when there at ever been so much as an out of place teaspoon at her parents' house (outside of her own frequent and rather destructive mishaps, of course).

"Well, she might not be thrilled-"

Remus let out a very un-Remus-like snort, muttering: "That's an understatement if ever I heard one"

"-but if we explain he's got nowhere else to go she'll help...and Dad won't complain, he always wanted a pet." Of course, Ted Tonks had probably had something smaller and less lethal in mind, not to mention less illegal, but she decided to overlook that. After all, hippogriffs were a lot cooler than cats or owls.

"What if we told them everything?" Sirius suggested. "About me being innocent, I mean."

"No," Remus cut in before Tonks could even react. "There're already too many people who know about you, we're not taking that risk."

"They wouldn't tell anybody!" Tonks objected. "Mum and Dad know how to keep a secret. And didn't you say you guys were friends with them before the war?"

"It's an unnecessary risk," Remus insisted. "It's already stupidly dangerous taking Sirius into Hogwarts."

"Yeah, but it'd be my risk, wouldn't it?" Sirius shrugged. "I trust Andie and Ted."

"You haven't seen them in twenty years!" Remus seemed to be losing his patience now. "And it's not just your risk – if anybody found out they knew, Tonks would lose her job, and they might even go to jail. Not to mention Harry; how do you think he'd feel if they locked you up again?" That last part shut Sirius up, and he grudgingly went back to his butterbeer.

"What's your idea, then?" Tonks demanded, crossing her arms. "Just hand Buckbeak back over to the ministry?"

Remus didn't answer, obviously just as clueless as the others.

"The Weasleys?" Sirius suggested half-heartedly. "Doesn't one of them work with dragons?"

"Charlie," Tonks nodded. "But he only does dragons as far as I know, and if that Vance woman couldn't find a place, I don't think he'd be able to help. I could owl him, though, give it a shot."

"I don't think that would help," Remus said quickly. "Besides, we'd have to explain everything again. I suppose we could leave him here...I'd have to apparate over every day to feed him, but he'd be safe."

"And leave him all on his own?" Sirius protested. "No way! He'd go mad after a month. Besides, your disillusion charms don't work that long."

"That, and people would get suspicious if a teacher was going home every day for no reason," Tonks nodded, before smiling at the werewolf wryly. "Face it, Remus. My plan is your best option."

"I'm not asking Andromeda to store a hippogriff in her back garden," Remus insisted, crossing his arms to show that the last word had definitely been spoken.

* * *

"Bloody drama queen," Remus muttered as they were strolling up the tidy gravel path that led to the white front door. "Why couldn't he just escape on a broom like a normal criminal?"

Tonks couldn't help but grin at that, despite her nervousness. For all her outward optimism when she had tried to convince Remus and Sirius (mostly Remus) of their plan, she wasn't certain at all what her parents would say to their proposal. Or what they would say to her in general, given she hadn't bothered to pay them a visit in almost a month...

"It'll be fine," she said, reassuring herself as much as him, before she hesitantly knocked on the wooden door. "You're her sort of person. You know, manners and all. With me and Dad around she doesn't get a lot of that, so you'll stand out very positively." Remus seemed only marginally happier at that.

Before she had a chance to say anything more, Andromeda opened the door, an apron over her robes and obviously in the middle of making dinner. At the sight of her daughter, her eyes winded. "Nymphadora! Why didn't you say you were coming over?"

 _Oops..._

She knew there was something she had forgotten to do. Ignoring Remus' aghast expression she managed to smile at her mother. "Sorry, Mum, slipped my mind. Is Dad there? There's something I need to ask you...This is Remus, by the way, Remus Lupin. I think you've met; he's been helping me with work stuff."

Andromeda only now seemed to have noticed the man behind her, and her eyes widened in recognition. "Remus! It's... I haven't seen you in years..."

He forced himself to smile. "It's lovely to see you again, Mrs Tonks. I'm sorry to barge in here so unexpectedly, if this is a bad time I can come back lat-"

"Oh, not at all. And call me Andromeda, please. It hasn't been _that_ long."

Tonks allowed herself a relieved breath. She knew her mother wasn't big on prejudice, but she had still been somewhat anxious as to how she would react to Remus now that she knew what he was. Yet Andromeda was perfectly polite when she ushered them inside, calling into the garden for her husband. If she had any qualms, she hid them well.

"So, teaching?" Ted Tonks smiled at Remus once they were all seated at the table (Andromeda had insisted they have dinner with them, miraculously multiplying the stew she had made with just a wave of her wand). "How did you get into that?"

Remus swallowed, obviously still anxious despite the warm welcome. "Dumbledore asked me," he said slowly, cautiously. Obviously trying to find out how the Tonks stood on the matter of a werewolf teaching in a school full of children. "He's been having trouble filling the post recently, and originally it was only supposed to be temporary, until he could find someone else. Apparently he hasn't, yet."

"Probably too relieved he actually found a decent teacher for once," Tonks inserted, grinning. "After a fraud and a criminal, and that nutcase we had in my seventh year... "

Andromeda smiled. "Well, I'm glad you enjoy it," she said, turning back to Remus. "And for what it's worth, Ted and I don't share that Skeeter woman's view. You have every right to that job, Remus."

He didn't respond for a while, merely staring at the older woman in a speechless astonishment that Tonks had rarely seen in him. In fact, she couldn't even recall the last time she had seen him lost for words. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded slightly choked. "Thank you, Andromeda," he said simply, obviously very touched, and Tonks gathered he must not often hear proclamations like that.

Ted, sensing Remus' awkwardness, hastily changed the topic. "Any clue about those idiots from the World Cup yet, Dora?"

Immediately her mood darkened. "Nothing. The office is practically a war zone right now. Scrimgeour actually made Turpin cry the other day, just because he wouldn't get some files quickly enough. Really glad I'll be out of there soon, to be honest. Although Kingsley already threatened to send me all of his paperwork every morning so I won't enjoy it too much."

Ted laughed. "Back to school, and you even get homework? If you don't watch out they'll have you sitting at the house table."

Tonks grimaced, not liking that idea at all. "I'm a qualified Auror, for Merlin's sake! Anyway, we came here for a reason. We got a favour to ask." She hesitated, looking over to Remus who seemed very pale again and not at all comfortable. She decided to help him out, seeing as this was her idea anyway. And technically Sirius' hippogriff, not his. "You remember that hippogriff that attacked Aunt Narcissa's little brat last year?"

Andromeda frowned. "The hippogriff... yes, I do. It was executed, wasn't it?"

Tonks hesitated, and decided to play it safe for a while longer. "Yes, it was sentenced, which was totally unfair, 'cos it was Malfoy's own fault – the professor warned them not to insult hippogriffs, and he still did it. You said so yourself, remember? That Malfoy is a little shit who probably deserved it?"

Andromeda made a choked sound in her throat. "I most certainly said no such thing!"

Tonks winced. "Well, maybe I paraphrased... But you did say it was probably not the hippogriff's fault." Her mother nodded, slowly.

"He most certainly lost because Lucius Malfoy has more gold and more important friends than Hagrid," Ted said, somewhat wistfully. "But corruption and bias at the ministry is nothing new, is it? And it is too late to do anything now, anyway, Dora. What do you want to do, start a campaign for creature rights? Because I don't-"

"It's not too late," Tonks said quickly, more optimistic now that such a perfect opportunity had presented itself. "They didn't execute the hippogriff. It escaped."

The dining room was silent for a moment, as both her parents stared at Tonks in confusion. Then, just as realization dawned on her mother's face, Remus quiet voice broke the silence. "He broke the chain he was held with right before he was supposed to be executed. I found him later that night, in the forbidden forest, and I...took him with me. I was leaving Hogwarts that day anyway. Buckbeak is currently living in my back garden."

"In...your...in your back garden?" Andromeda, usually a highly eloquent woman, seemed to struggle for words. Remus nodded, holding her gaze, but Tonks could see how nervously his fingers were digging into his faded trousers.

"It seemed like the right thing at the time. I did not expect to regain my position, and my home is secluded, protected by trees. The plan was to watch him for a year or so, until I could return him to Hagrid safely."

"If the ministry'd found Buckbeak, they'd have killed him!" Tonks threw in, irritated at the shocked and not at all impressed looks on her parents' faces. "And now...well, with Remus going back to Hogwarts, Buckbeak needs a place to stay. And I thought, you...well, you hardly use that shed, do you? And he only needs to be let out a few hours a week... you can dislillusion him, that's what Remus usually does..."

"You want us to keep a stolen al hippogriff in our shed?" her father exclaimed. "Blimey, Dora-"

"Are you completely out of your mind?" his wife cut in. "Nymphadora, I have heard a lot of crazy ideas from you over the years, but this-"

"He's got nowhere else to go!" Tonks cried. "Don't you get it? They'll _kill_ him. Chop his head off with a fucking _axe_!"

"Calm down, Dora-"

"I apologize." Suddenly, Remus was on his feet, face even paler than before. "I should never have come, it was presumptuous to ask. I will be going now, thank you for dinner, Andromeda. I am deeply sorry to have intruded on you in this manner."

"It was my idea!" Tonks protested. "Remus didn't even want to come, Mum, I practically dragged him here."

"Sit down, Remus," her father, a lot calmer now that the initial shock at faded, said, and reluctantly Remus obeyed. "Now, Tonks, you do realize what you are asking, right? Neither your mother nor I know anything about caring for a hippogriff, let alone a stolen one."

"He doesn't need much," Tonks quickly injected. "Si-He mostly eats rats now, but ferrets or any sort of meat will do, really. And he can occupy himself, if you toss him some rags or a ball occasionally. He likes it if you talk to him, though."

"He likes being talked to?"

"Ted! You can't seriously consider this!"

Her father shrugged. "Well, _you_ won't listen to me talking about Quidditch, so I thought..."

Tonks giggled, despite the death stare that Andromeda send over to her husband. "I think we got them," she whispered to Remus.

* * *

 **Tonks, the undisputed queen of convincing people. Let's hope she'll be just as sucessful with that stubborn werewolf...**


	16. A Brush with the Past

**Meant to wait for tomorrow to post this, but what the hell.**

 **Thanks for all those reviews! :)**

* * *

 **A Brush With The Past**

Remus cursed silently as he was making his way through the crowded alley. Leave it to Sirius to wait with his demands until the very last second. And of course he absolutely _needed_ that packet of Exploding Snap cards before they left for Hogwarts.

"I'm all out, Moony! That blasted Auror burnt the last ones I owned! Do you realize how utterly _bored_ I'll be with you teaching bratty kids all day?"

At that, Remus had finally caved – not out of pity, but concern for his living quarters. He had seen first-hand what a bored Sirius Black could do to a dormitory. Now, as he was nervously trying to blend in with the crowd of stressed parents and whiny children, wincing every time he saw someone look over their shoulder, whisper something to their friend or just plain out point a finger at him, he was rapidly regretting his decision.

He knew he'd have to face all of his students tomorrow, but it was something else to meet them out in the open, away from the somewhat separate reality of Hogwarts, and accompanied by their parents. Some of them were genuinely nice – Dean Thomas, who he remembered being in Harry's class, actually ran out of Madame Malkin's when he saw him.

"Professor Lupin! Seamus said you're back this year, is that true? That's awesome!"

Others were less friendly. One father even seemed on the brink of drawing a wand at Remus, until his wife reminded him where they were. So it was with some reluctance that he stopped when a voice rang out behind him in front of Ollivanders.

"Remus? Remus Lupin?" His mouth already open for a short-tempered answer, he turned around – and promptly forgot everything he wanted to say.

" _Val?_ "

* * *

"Last day, eh?"

Tonks stopped tidying up her desk (or rather stuffing everything into the drawers and hoping nobody would look inside while she was gone) and grinned at her fellow Auror. "Just finishing up. Scrimgeour let me go early so I'd have time to pack."

"Pack?" Kinglsey snorted. "I've seen you pack; he should have made you work overtime."

Tonks ignored the comment, sticking out her tongue at him instead. "You're just jealous 'cos I get to stuff my face at Hogwarts for ten months while you're stuck with Dawlish in here."

"At least I'm fighting real crime, and don't just play guard dog."

Tonks couldn't help herself. "Really? How's the search for Black going, then?"

Ever since she had learned that Sirius was, in fact innocent, and hiding right under the ministry's noses, the wanted posters in the office had become a lot funnier. Kingsley grimaced, but countered: "How's the Russian?"

"Ne mozhet byt' luchshe." She was pretty sure she had garbled the pronunciation, but from the surprised and confused expression on Kingsley's face Tonks concluded that it didn't matter, as he had no idea what she had just said. She grinned. "Didn't think I could do it, did you?"

Kinglsey nodded, slowly. "I must say, that Lupin bloke seems to know what he's doing. Shame it was all for nothing, really."

Tonks froze, dropping the broom-shaped letter opener (a gift from her Dad that she was pretty sure was originally a free giveaway from some Quidditch ticket) she was holding without even noticing. "What?"

Had Scrimgeour decided Hogwarts didn't need an Auror after all? (Admittedly, with Albus Dumbledore in charge they probably didn't, but she had still looked forward to it.) But then she noticed the mischievous sparkle in his eyes, and a second later he was smiling innocently.

"Oh, nothing. I'm sure it's a useful skill to have. It's just, I heard Scrimgeour talking to Crouch, telling him they wouldn't need an extra translator at Hogwarts because the Auror he'd chosen to send happened to speak French and Russian. Saying what a lucky coincidence it was, 'cos he'd have sent her anyway."

There was silence for a moment. "And _when_ did you happen to hear that?" she finally asked, gritting her teeth.

Kingsley's grin broadened, and he took a step back before answering. "Oh, right after you told me you lied to them, actually. But then you mentioned you had found a teacher, and I didn't want to keep you from learning something new-"

He erupted into laughter, hastily ducking as the letter opener was flung his way. It imbedded itself in the wall of the next cubicle, triggering a surprised squeak and a very lengthy lecture by a pissed off colleague.

Tonks was still steaming when she left the office half an hour later, a fresh official warning about proper conduct on the job in her pocket (she could start a collection by now) but grinning despite her anger.

She was mad at Kingsley for tormenting her like that, but not at the fact that she had unnecessarily sacrificed all her free time for almost a month. After all, if he had told her right away, she'd have cancelled those lessons with Remus, she'd never won him as a friend, never met her cousin and learned the truth… She should thank Kingsley, really.

 _I'll send him a muffin from the welcoming feast._

Tonks made her way to Diagon Alley, planning to withdraw some money since she didn't know when she'd next be back in London, and maybe find something nice to buy for her mother. They had moved Buckbeak the day before, and while Ted had immediately fallen in love with the hippogriff, Andromeda had still looked distinctly unhappy. Maybe a nice looking pot plant would placate her… if Tonks managed to find a non-poisonous one this time. (Herbology had never been one of her strong suits, and it was owed entirely to Professor Sprout's generosity that she had been allowed to take the NEWT class.)

She was just leaving Gringotts, trying to decide if a book wouldn't be a safer gift, when she spotted a very familiar patchy cloak vanishing behind two excited first years exiting Ollivanders. An involuntary smile crept onto her face as she hurried down the white marble steps after him, struggling through the thick crowd to keep up with his long strides. She'd recognize that cloak anywhere – mostly because Sirius had mocked it only yesterday, when they had set off to deliver Buckbeak.

"Really, Moony? You're _still_ wearing that piece of rags? You do realize you got a job now, don't you? There's this thing called pay, that-"

"I did buy myself a new cloak," Remus had pointed out as he was fastening the worn piece of clothing around his neck, "It got burnt to a crisp when you decided showing yourself to an unsuspecting Auror was a good way of reconnecting with family. It seems safer to just stick with this one."

Of course Tonks had immediately offered to buy him a new cloak (she was used to these kind of damage compensations, sadly), but Remus had resolutely refused even so much as a Knut, insisting that it really was Sirius' fault and he'd just steal his friend's money if he ever decided to replace it. (Tonks highly doubted he'd take Sirius' money any more than hers, but knowing his stubbornness she hadn't argued further.)

She wondered what Remus was doing in Diagon Alley today – he hadn't struck her as someone who left his shopping until the last day – but just as she finally was within earshot, another voice beat hers.

"Remus? Remus Lupin?"

The speaker was a woman, approximately in her early thirties, who had long, silvery blonde hair and a natural attractiveness that made her appear a lot younger than she had to be. She was accompanied by two children, neither of whom seemed quite old enough for Hogwarts. Remus turned around just as Tonks' hand was twitching towards her wand, expecting some sort of insult, only to stop, dumbfounded, when his face lit up at her sight.

" _Val?_ "

Tonks just stood there, motionless, as they hugged, clearly very familiar with each other. There were some greetings that Tonks didn't catch when a group of shoppers brushed past her, separating her, and in a split second, Tonks made a decision.

* * *

"Val?" Remus stared, hardly believing his eyes. She looked almost unchanged, hair still flowing down to her waist, eyes still shining in the brightest blue. She looked just as angelic as when he had last seen her, almost thirteen years ago.

"It really is you! Oh, Remus!" Before he had quite overcome his surprise she had flung herself forwards, throwing her arms around him. At the familiar scent, he recovered from his shock, and finally a grin spread to his face as he hugged her back.

"Val! That's...How are you?" He stepped back, still stunned at her unexpected appearance. Then he noticed the two children, aged maybe nine or ten, standing behind her, staring up at him with curious eyes. Blue eyes. He looked back to Val, eyes raised. "Are they...?"

Val smiled, and nodded. "Jarek, Halina, this is Remus Lupin. He's a teacher at Hogwarts, and an old friend of mine."

Remus smiled at the two children. Jarek only looked at him for a moment before hiding behind his mother, but his sister grinned at the stranger in front of her. "Nice to meet you, Mr Lupin." Her English was good, although the slight accent betrayed that it was not her native language.

"Why don't you and Jarek go and buy yourselves some ice cream? It's just over there, Florean Fourtescue's, do you see the sign? It's the best ice cream in the country!" Val told her daughter, fishing a handful of coins out of her hand and handing them to the girl. Halina thanked her, saying something excited to her brother in Polish before dragging him off towards the shop a few meters away. Remus noticed that he looked a lot less happy than her.

"You got married," he said once they had scampered off, noticing the thin wedding band on her hand. "That's great!"

Val smiled, almost shyly, although her beaming eyes betrayed her happiness. "I did. Miron's a healer, like me."

Remus smile broadened. "You managed to get in? Congratulations! But I thought you were living in Poland?"

Val nodded. "I do. We're just visiting my Dad for a few weeks – the kids only see him once a year, sadly – and, well." She smiled. "Buying school supplies for Jarek. He's starting Hogwarts tomorrow."

Remus' surprise grew even further. "Hogwarts?" He looked over at the boy who was waiting in the queue with his sister. If he had been asked to guess, he'd have said they were the same age, him maybe a year younger. And definitely not eleven. He was thin, very small, and his blonde hair hung limply around his pale face. His eyes were dark blue, just like his mother's.

Val nodded. "Yes. Miron went to Durmstrang, but I think Hogwarts is better. And it will be useful for them to learn English properly." She followed his gaze, and suddenly her expression became clouded. "He's tiny, isn't he? It almost breaks my heart to send him off...so soon...and he's terribly afraid; he didn't want to go at all. I'm already dreading tomorrow."

Remus' gaze returned to her, sympathy rising in him. He remembered his own mother, crying as she was waving good-bye to him at King's Cross, and the dull dread that was spreading inside him as he saw the only two familiar people in his world drift out of view, suddenly all alone with the monster inside him.

Then something else occurred to him. _He_ was going to teach Jarek.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Remus found himself saying, smiling at Val in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "Write to you how he's doing, if you like, try and keep him out of trouble."

A grateful expression appeared on her face, lighting up her big eyes. "You would do that? Oh, Remus, thank you!" Suddenly he found himself in a hug again.

"Can we buy Jarek an owl now, Mama?" Halina and her brother had reappeared, each holding a gigantic portion of ice cream (Jarek had chosen chocolate, as Remus' approvingly noticed). "And can I get an owl, too? It's only one more year!" She seemed to be a lot more talkative than her brother, who muttered something in Polish into his ice cream without looking any of them in the eyes. (Remus, whose Polish was more than rusty and only very patchy to begin with, thought it might have been something like "I don't want an owl").

"Speak English, darling," Val told him, "And you'll have to eat up before we can go in there."

"Are you really a professor, Mr Lupin?" Halina asked, looking at Remus now with unabashed curiosity. "I've never met a professor."

Remus couldn't help but smile. "I am," he answered. "I teach Defence Against the Dark Arts."

At that, Jarek looked up for the first time. "Really?" he asked, staring at Remus with wide eyes. "Will you teach us curses?"

Remus cleared his throat, throwing a cautious glace to Val who suddenly seemed very alarmed. "Mainly I will teach you how to defend yourself against curses," he told the boy, whose expression immediately dropped.

"Can we go look at the owls from the outside while we eat our ice cream?" Halina asked, and Val nodded. "Sure, we can go there." She looked over at Remus. "Are you going this way, or-?"

"I am, actually," Remus said, falling into step beside her. It wasn't strictly speaking true; Sirius had also asked him for some Firewhiskey, but he'd have to live without that for a few days.

For a while they were silent, watching the children in front of them chatter excitedly (or Halina chatter, while Jarek warily examined his surroundings), and Remus felt himself grow increasingly anxious. There was one topic that Val hadn't mentioned at all, but if she had been staying in England for more than a few days she certainly had to know... Remus didn't want to talk about it; he dreaded it more than anything, but somehow he couldn't just stay silent either. Not when there was so much left unsaid between them.

"I'm sorry," he finally said when they came to a halt as Halina was staring at some dress robes in a shop window. "I should have told you, when we were..."

Val frowned for a moment, then realization hit her. "Oh. You mean, that you're a...you know."

Remus nodded slowly, not daring to meet her eye. "I was bitten as a child; Dumbledore arranged for me to attend Hogwarts anyway – I never endangered anyone," he added hastily.

Val didn't answer immediately, and appeared to be thinking. "It's alright," she finally said, turning her head and smiling at him. "I don't think I would have told anyone, either." She paused. "Did...Did James and...the others know?"

Remus nodded slowly, hesitating. "Lily did, too," he finally admitted. There was a sharp gasp at his side, and he didn't dare look at her face directly.

He knew how she must feel. Val had been Lily's best friend during their final years at Hogwarts, and the six of them had often spent their time together. Now Val realized that she had been the only one of their group not included in this big secret.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, somewhat helplessly, not knowing what else to say.

Finally, Val spoke. "It's okay. I understand, a little. I don't think I'd have...I don't think I could have dealt with that, not back then. Lily was always the brave one."

"You're brave!" Remus protested immediately. "To start a life completely from scratch like you did, start again despite everything...I was a mess after the war. I could barely care for myself, let alone raise two children!"

Val smiled again. "Where were you?" she asked after a while, when they were moving again. "I saw you at...at the funeral, but you left before I could talk to you. I tried to find out your address, but no one knew..."

Remus felt his face harden. Shame.

"Like I said, I was a mess," he said quietly, avoiding her eyes. "I'm sorry I ignored you that day. It was just all a bit much, hearing these people talk, the speeches... talking as if their deaths were worthwhile, something to celebrate..." He took a deep breath, and forced a smile onto his face. "Sorry. I'm afraid I still get a bit sentimental at that topic."

To his surprise, Val nodded. "Me too." There was a sad smile on her face as she took Remus hand in his, squeezing it. "I still miss Lily. And James and Peter, too."

Remus found himself stiffening. _Sirius is innocent. Peter's the traitor!_ But he knew he couldn't tell her, least of all here. Val had been right when she said telling her about his lycantrophy would have been too much for her back at school, and telling her about Sirius would be too much now.

"Their son's been living with me this summer," he said instead, trying to change the topic. "Harry. You never met him, did you?"

Val shook her head. "No, I was...what's he like?"

At that, Remus finally smiled in earnest. "Like her," he said. "I mean, he looks exactly like James, except for the eyes, but the way he acts...there's so much of Lily in him." For a moment they simply stared into the distance, both lost in the past.

"Mama, look! It's so tiny! Can we buy it? Please!" Halina interrupted them, bouncing back over to them, pointing at a very small tawny owl in the shop window of Eeylops Owl Emporium.

Remus was almost grateful. Seeing Val was stirring up enough memories, without the additional stress of talking about them.

"I told you, you'll get one next year," she told her daughter now, and Remus realized that she was not, in fact the same girl he remembered from Hogwarts. She was still beautiful, but she was a grown woman now, mature and without the girlish insecurity that her past self had always held.

Val was a mother, a wife, she had her dream job...Remus couldn't help but smile as he watched her trying to nudge Jarek into the shop. She had achieved everything he had hoped she would, the perfect life he had imagined for her when they had been at Hogwarts, talking about the future, their dreams and hopes. And watching her now, Remus felt nothing but overburdening happiness on her behalf.

And, maybe, a sliver of relief.

 _You made the right decision._

* * *

 **Those of you who read Down By The Lakeside might recognize Val. For the rest, don't worry, her role will be explained in the next chapter :)  
**

 **Reviews are always welcome!**


	17. Back at Hogwarts

**Decided to give you a bit of a quicker update, seeing as I've been posting rather slowly recently.**

 **Technically, this chapter will contain spoilers for my JamesXLily story, Down by the Lakeside. But they are not terribly big, and you'd have to wait quite a while as I'm still very far off from posting the relevant chapters in that one. Just thought I'd give you a heads-up.**

 **purplepixie13: She'll definitely be deterred for now. But without wanting to spoil things, I would hardly write a TonksXRemus fic where they don't end up together, would I? ;)**

 **alix33: He probably could try to do something useful like that, but Sirius is more of a man of action. Reading books all day - or even sitting still - is not something he thrives on. After all, he could have spent his time at Grimmauld Place more usefully than drinking himself into a stupor, but he still didn't. Val did grow up indeed, but what we've seen from her in Lakeside so far is still very young. She'll actually get more mature in that story already. And great thanks for the weary/wary comment, I genuinely did not know which was which! (Or that there was a difference...)**

 **CaseLC: Nope, those aren't Remus' kids. What he meant by that is that he could not have rebuild a life from scratch like that (Val emigrated to Poland, where her mother was from, after school), and instead lost himself in desperation and alcohol.**

* * *

 **Back at Hogwarts**

It took Tonks a while to get used to her new surroundings. Of course she had had her share of night time roaming and explorations during her time as a student, but she had never ventured close to the more quiet parts of the castle, where her new living quarters were situated.

Remus' _'just head past the prefects' bathroom then take the first left'_ wasn't of much help either, yet she hadn't said anything, far too shocked that he'd assume she'd been a prefect and actually know where their bathroom was located.

After nearly having missed breakfast on her first morning, she decided to leave for lunch early (rather relieved to get away from all the paperwork, as Kingsley had made his threats come true) and strolled around the castle, finding her way downstairs more or less by chance. Who knew that Hogwarts even _had_ a music room?

Coming down the stairs into the entrance hall she saw Harry. Just as she was contemplating saying hello – she didn't really know him, but after all she shared Sirius' secret now – there was a sudden burst of light, and a bang as the wall in front of Harry was hit. Tonks reacted instinctively, wand in her hand before her brain had even fully realized what was going on. Thankfully she remembered where she was early enough not to stun the attacker, sending out a disarmament spell instead.

There was a shocked silence as she stared down at the wand she had caught (actually caught! That must be a first...) and then over to its owner. For a moment she couldn't place him. Then –

"Cousin Malfoy!" She sauntered over to him, a false grin on her face. "Upholding the family tradition of cowardly nastiness, I see." Every eye in the great Hall was now on her, and Tonks was glad she had chosen to keep her Auror robes on. The pink hair was costing her enough authority points as it was.

"Everything alright, Potter?" She smiled at Harry, who was staring at her like everyone else, before he nodded quickly.

"Yeah, he missed."

Tonks smile turned evil again. Suddenly she was enjoying herself quite a lot. "No surprise here, from what I've heard his Dad can't duel to save his life. He's actually featured in this one case study they teach us..."

"Don't you dare insult my father!" The Malfoy boy, obviously having overcome his shock and having decided that she wasn't a teacher and therefore not a threat, had taken a step forward, anger blazing in his eyes.

Tonks narrowed her own at him. "I won't if you don't act like a spineless prick."

She straightened up, pocketing her own wand and twirling his through her fingers. "Now, I should report this to a teacher, I guess. But seeing as you obviously have to wait till someone's back's turned to actually dare and attack them, I think you're punished enough. Here's your wand back, try not to poke your eye out." There was a clatter as Malfoy failed to catch it (though to be fair, Tonks' throwing abilities might have had something to do with that), and laughter started to ring out through the hall as the students dispersed.

"Did I miss something?"

Tonks froze, the grin vanishing from her face, as she turned around to Remus. Her eyes flickered over to Harry and his friends, who were still looking at her. She winked at them, before smiling at Remus.

"No, everything in order, Professor. Are you headed for lunch?"

* * *

"How's Snuffles?" she asked when they were seated at the table, enjoying the house-elf's work that she had missed so much.

"Bored already, I assume." Remus shrugged. "I might take him out for a stroll after lessons have finished. If he hasn't demolished my office until then. How's the paper work going?"

"Very boring. History of Magic – levels of boring. I could take him. Snuffles, I mean. Have him stay in my office, keep an eye on him." _Keep him company_ was what she meant, of course, but they were both aware of the preying ears of their neighbours.

Remus hesitated. "If you'd like...I suppose. But he's not allowed to...you know, outside my office." _Transform_ , he mouthed.

Tonks nodded. "Sure!" she smiled, trying to hide her disappointment. She had actually hoped to talk to Sirius. "How are your lessons, then?" she asked, changing the topic.

Remus shrugged. "Alright. Better than I expected, really." His eyes wandered over to a small blond-haired boy at the Gryffindor table, who Tonks recognized from yesterday's sorting. Jarek Bosko. Immediately, her face fell, and she was almost grateful when Professor Sprout started asking questions about Auror training and she could turn away from Remus.

* * *

"Nice rooms. Bit far off for my taste, but ideal if you want to throw a big party-"

Tonks had barely closed the door to her office when Sirius' started talking behind her. She spun around. "Sirius! You can't transform in here! Remus said-"

"Oh, come on. You're an Auror, cast some wards," Sirius said lazily, flopping down onto the armchair next to the fire and picking up a case file from the coffee table. "It's not like anybody's going to come visit you. _Reported sightings of Gorgons_ – people do know those are extinct, don't they?" He squinted at the report. " _Ipswich?_ Why would anybody, Gorgon or not, want to go to Ipswich!?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, yanking the paper away from him. "It's the pointless bullshit that gets relegated to the newest Auror. Now _please_ transform back. If Remus finds out-"

"He's gonna do what, take away house points? Give you detention? Lighten up, Nymphie. There's no need to tell him, and from the looks of this-" he indicated the scattered papers on the table, none of them of much more importance than the Gorgon report, "I'm not the only one who could use a distraction. So relax, I'll cast the wards and you make the tea."

He lumbered to his feet again and strolled over to the door, brandishing his wand. Tonks hesitated for a moment longer, then shrugged. Sirius was right – she _was_ colossally bored. "I only got Butterbeer."

Sirius grinned. "Even better! Living with Moony, I've drunken more tea in the last two months than my whole life combined. If you'd let him, that man would live solely off Earl Grey and old books."

Tonks grinned. His obsession with tea was one of the first things she had learned about Remus. "He says I don't drink it properly," she mused, levitating over two bottles of Butterbeer from her cupboard and plopping herself down into the comfortable armchair. "'Cos I don't put in any milk. First time I saw him genuinely upset, actually..."

Sirius nodded. "He's a bit mental like that. There was this one Christmas holiday in our sixth year; the four of us were staying at James'; his parents had gone out. It was a Sunday, and the middle of the night, and we were suddenly out of milk. I was the only one old enough to use magic, and he actually made me go out, find a muggle shop and break in there to steal some."

Tonks stared. "He made you _steal_ milk?" That didn't sound like Remus had all.

Sirius grin grew a bit crooked. "Well, not directly. The milk shortage was technically Prongs' and my fault, because we did this... _prank_ on Peter, and when Moony found out it was gone he lost it a little. Threw a huge fit, demanding we find a replacement, _somehow_ – so Prongs distracted him, and I went out to get it. It was dire; he can be super scary if he's angry. One of the few tomes I actually believed he was a werewolf, and not just some oversized were-rabbit."

Tonks nearly choked on her Butterbeer, laughing at the idea of a teenage Remus stomping and shouting because someone had denied him milk in his tea.

After she had recovered, they were silent for a while, and Tonks was just about to open her mouth and ask about the woman in Diagon Alley, when Sirius spoke again, voice now completely sober. "I'm sorry."

Tonks blinked. "What?"

"About what I said that night, the night of the World Cup. About not trusting you, and calling you a stranger."

Tonks stared at him for a moment. Then a smile broke out on her face. She hadn't realized until now how much those words had hurt her. "It's okay. You were worried about Harry. And technically, I _was_ a stranger."

"No," Sirius insisted resolutely, surprising Tonks with his vehemence. "You were my baby cousin. Who was friends with my best mate, and decided not to lock me up even though she only had our word for my innocence. You trusted me, and I should have returned that trust. I am sorry."

Tonks hadn't heard him speak seriously for this long since she had met him, and it took her a moment to regain her senses. "It's alright," she finally repeated. "I forgive you. As long as you don't call me Nymphie again, _Siri_."

Sirius grinned, his glumness falling from him as quickly as it had come. "Duly noted. So what's the plan now? Do you actually need to work or can we just hang around telling embarrassing stories about Moony? Cos I have _lots_."

Tonks laughed. "You're a wonderful friend, Black." She hesitated, before adding, more quietly: "I do have a question, actually. Who's Val?"

She had expected some sort of reaction, but nothing on this scale. At the mention of the name, Sirius froze mid-grin, dropping his Butterbeer and not even looking down when the sticky liquid splashed his robes.

"Where'd you get that name?" he finally asked, still looking at her as if she was a ghost. "Did Remus mention her?"

Tonks flinched at the sudden intensity in his eyes, and hastily flicked her wand to clear up the mess. "No," she said, concentrating on her work to avoid looking at him. "I...I saw them together at Diagon Alley, the day before yesterday. He seemed surprised to see her. They talked for a while." She looked up, blushing. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she lied hastily, "It was crowded, I was headed in the same direction-" _So I morphed and followed them like some creepy stalker..._

But Sirius didn't even seem to hear her, as a small smile crept onto his face. "Little Valerie Baker...how did he react? Did he blush?"

Tonks frowned at that strange question. "Blush? I dunno...He seemed happy, I guess. Who is she?"

Finally, Sirius looked at her. "His ex", he explained, still smiling. "His first girlfriend. They started dating in our sixth year – or rather, me and Prongs made them; he was a bit of a twat about it. They broke up after we left school. She went back to Poland with her Mum and sister, and he...well, we all joined the Order, so it would have been too dangerous for them to keep seeing each other. That, and the whole werewolf thing... that's the real reason he broke up with her, I think. Thinking she'd be tied down to poverty and ill reputation and all that bullshit. But I don't think he ever stopped loving her...not really."

At Sirius' tale, Tonks had felt her mood sink lower and lower, but his last words were like a punch in the stomach. "He...he still loves her?" she asked weakly, hating how hurt her voice sounded, "After what, fifteen years?"

Sirius shrugged. "He'd never admit it, of course. He still loved her back when...before I went to prison. About now...I dunno. He never mentions her, but that's not really a sign. I don't know why he would stop, they were great together. Did you hear what they were saying? Is he meeting her again?"

"She's married," Tonks answered, mouth feeling very dry. "Her son's a first year here at Hogwarts."

"Married!?" Sirius cursed. "Damn. That'll have stung..." He pondered for a while. Then: "Happily married?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "I don't think Remus is one for adultery, do you? And anyway, she's living in Poland, so he'll hardly get the chance to see her." She felt some relief at this, even though it made her feel horribly guilty.

"Aww, dammit. I knew he'd fuck it up without me there." Sirius sighed, sinking back into the sofa defeatedly. "Who's the kid?"

"Jarek Bosko," Tonks answered, feeling just as depressed as Sirius sounded. "Tiny boy, got sorted into Gryffindor."

Sirius made a face. "At least he takes after his mother. I can only imagine the kind of moron she's married..." Tonks barely heard a word of his angry ramblings, too busy with her own thoughts.

 _Still loves her..._

Of course he did. This Val woman was beautiful, possessing a natural grace even while walking through a crowded alley, mature, self-assured... Tonks stopped herself. It shouldn't matter. She should be sad about Remus losing the woman he loved, like Sirius was. Nothing more.

After all, it wasn't like she herself had an interest in Remus. Because she hadn't. She didn't care about that wonderful warm smile that made his blue eyes twinkle, the adorable frown that crept on his face whenever he was reading, the way he ducked his head if he was embarrassed...and she in no way wanted to rake her fingers through that soft-looking brown hair, trace the fine stubble on his jaw, taste those lips... Except she did. A lot.

 _Well, fuck._

* * *

"Moony, you're home! I thought you'd be gone forever!"

Remus rolled his eyes at the overenthusiastic greeting by his best friend. "Go make yourself useful, boil the kettle or something."

"I'm your dog, not your wife!"

"Dogs don't talk." Remus took off his overcoat and closed the door behind him, resetting the wards. "How was your afternoon with Tonks? You didn't transform, did you?"

"Course not." Sirius sat down on the sofa, watching Remus make tea.

The werewolf sighed. "Did you at least set wards?"

"Yes, Dad." Sirius rolled his eyes, and was silent as he waited for Remus to return to the fire. When he did, there was a calculating expression on his face that Remus had learned to grow wary of long ago.

"Everything alright?"

Sirius nodded, still watching him carefully. "Great. You?"

Remus had the distinct impression that there was something that Sirius wanted him to say, yet he had no clue whatsoever what it might be. His wariness grew. "Yes... The children were fine, barely half as many nasty comments as I expected."

At that, anger flickered over Sirius' face, but he didn't let himself be distracted for long. "I heard you met Val the other day."

Remus stared at him, completely dumbfounded. That was not at all what he had expected. "How...how do you know about that?"

Sirius shrugged. "Tonks told me, she saw you."

Remus felt his insides clench. "Tonks saw us? I didn't...why didn't she..."

Sirius shrugged, disinterested. "Guess she was busy. Anyway...Val?"

Remus pushed the worrying thoughts about Tonks aside and smiled. "She's good. Still living in Poland. She's a healer now, and married. I met her children, too, they're great. Halina looks just like her, and Jarek – he started Hogwarts yesterday, actually. A bit frightened, and his English isn't too great, but I think he'll manage. I said I'd try and help him if I can."

Sirius looked unimpressed at this; either he already knew this or he simply didn't care. Remus wondered just exactly _how much_ Tonks had seen. Or heard.

"So Val's doing great, wonderful." Sirius didn't sound happy at all, grey eyes boring into Remus inquisitively. "How are _you_ doing?"

Remus was confused. "Me? I told you, lessons are fine-"

"Not your lessons, you dimwit. How are you about _Val_."

Finally, he understood. "You think I still-" He smiled, relieved. With the way Sirius had acted, Remus had expected a lot worse. "Val and I broke up sixteen years ago. I'm over her."

Sirius wasn't convinced, and Remus almost felt touched at the worry in his expression. "Are you, though? The last time we spoke, _before_ , I mean, you still loved her. Even after three years."

Remus nodded. "I did. But a war is hardly a time to move on, is it?" he explained, frowning as he tried to explain. "I was clinging to the memory of her because it was safe back then, back at Hogwarts. It was the memory of peace as much as of Val that made me wish I had her back. Had that time back. Now..." He shrugged, realizing that he didn't actually know when he had stopped loving her. "I just don't. I'm happy for her, really happy. And relieved, maybe, that I didn't go with her back then. She's done better than she ever could have with me at her side."

"That's bogus!" Sirius protested, but the strain was gone from his voice, and he leant back in obvious relief. "So no mopey Moony? Because I had a whole speech, you know, about what a shallow cow she was, and how she didn't deserve you anyway..."

Remus laughed. "I don't think that will be necessary, no."

 _Unless Charlie Weasley really does show up..._

"Excellent," Sirius decided, drawing his wand to summon whatever snacks he had stored in the cupboard. "'Cos Harry's coming over, and you're terribly dull company when you're depressed."

Remus frowned, ducking when a box of toffees flew past his head. "You invited him here?"

"That's sort of the point of me staying at Hogwarts, isn't it?" Sirius said, tearing the wrapper of one of the sweets and throwing it onto the floor. "So Harry can see me."

"That's not the point! The point is you not having to live in some cave. I'm a teacher; I can't just invite students over for tea. And don't throw your rubbish on my carpet."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Merlin's balls, you're worse than Lily. And you don't even have boobs to make up for it. Speaking of which, Tonks is coming as well; I wanted her to meet Harry."

Remus stared at his friend for a moment, wondering which of his many complaints to what he had just heard he should voice first. In the end, he settled for:

"Are you drunk?"

Sirius gave a barking laughter, throwing another toffee in his mouth and levitating the wrapper in the vague direction of the fireplace. It landed on an armchair. "No, just happy. If you're done looking at me disapprovingly, is there any chance of a cup of tea?"

"No." Remus sat down with a disgruntled sigh, sipping from his own mug. "Anybody else you invited that I should know of? Minerva? Dumbledore? The minister?"

Sirius grinned. "You know, I bet Dumbledore would be awesome at a party. Why did we never invite him back in the day?"

* * *

"Are you sure Ron and me tagging along is alright?" Hermoine asked, for the fourth time that evening, when they were making their way across the corridor in the second floor.

Ron rolled his eyes. "If you don't want to come, you can just go back to the library and liberate your house-elves."

"Don't worry, Hermione," Harry said somewhat more diplomatically when they approached the door. "It's fine. Ron used to come over all the time during the summer; Sirius and Remus don't mind."

Hermoine, who had not really seen either of the Marauders since the night in the Shrieking Shack, seemed only marginally reassured.

Which did not change at all when the door was opened and they found a woman sitting on the sofa, hair bright pink and a wide grin on her face. It took Harry a second to recognize the Auror that Dumbledore had introduced the students to last night. And to make the connection to the Auror that had been at Birch Cottage nearly two months ago.

"Is she...Is _she_ Sergie?" Ron whispered, equally baffled.

Harry could only nod vaguely as Remus ushered them inside, closing the door behind them. "Hello Harry. Nice to see you Ron, Hermoine."

"Harry!" The large black dog had transformed back into his godfather, grinning at the three children. "Ron, Hermoine. Survived your run in with the law? Letting your wand get stolen, seriously..." He tutted disapprovingly but Harry could see the happiness in his eyes.

"Anyway, there's someone I want you to meet." He turned around, gesturing at the woman on the couch. "Meet my cousin, Nymphadora Tonks. Don't call her anything but Tonks though, or she will hex you. Trust me, I've tried... Tonks, this is the famous Harry Potter, and his two brilliant friends Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger."

Tonks shot them a grin. "Wotcher."

Harry merely stared at her, then back to Sirius. His... _cousin_? She looked at least ten years younger than him.

"Please, sit down, I'll make you some tea," Remus interrupted their baffled silence and they shuffled over to sit down next to Sirius and Tonks.

Finally, Harry managed to find his voice. "How...Why is she... I mean, why does she know about you?"

Sirius opened his mouth, but Tonks beat him to it. "Because he's an idiot and transformed in front of me. Nearly hexed him into oblivion before Remus could stop me."

"Oi! You're family; I knew you weren't gonna rat me out."

"Obviously, seeing as the rest of your family is such a prime example of human kindness and understanding," Remus commented dryly, levitating over a tray with tea and biscuits. Tonks laughed and Sirius crossed his arms in mock indignation.

"I didn't know you had a cousin," Harry said, feeling rather stupid while he said it – Sirius had never really mentioned his family, yet most people had cousins, after all – but feeling left out and wanting to say at least _something_.

"Well, technically she's not my cousin, but my...dunno, second cousin? Great-niece? " Sirius frowned, then shrugged. "Her Mum's my cousin, Andromeda. She married a muggle-born and got disinherited. My absolute role model growing up."

Seeing the horrified looks on their faces, he laughed. "The Blacks are one of the worst pure-bloods there are. I hated my family growing up. Everyone got sorted into Slytherin – even Andromeda, actually – but I managed to break that tradition, which did not sit too well with them. Ran away from home when I was sixteen and never looked back."

Harry stared at him. "You ran away? Where...where did you go?"

Sirius smiled. "Your Dad's. The Potters practically adopted me. Then my uncle Alfie, who was one of the few sane people in the family, died and left me all his money, and I could get my own place."

Harry felt another lump rise in his throat. Grandparents...he'd never thought about them, but of course he'd had some at some point...they must be dead, too, or he wouldn't have ended up with the Dursleys. Sirius, seeing the distant look in his eyes, softened. "I'll show you some pictures some time, tell you about them," he promised.

"What about your Mum and Dad?" Ron suddenly asked, looking at Sirius. "Are they still alive?"

Sirius snorted. "Thank Merlin not!" His eyes met Remus' eyes, and cleared his throat. "I mean…no. My father died shortly after the war, and my Mum…I don't know, actually. But the vault in Gringotts is mine now, so she must be dead."

"Nine years ago," Tonks supplied. "I remember cos my Mum actually said "Thank Merlin" when she read about it, and then when she saw me watching told me being happy about other people's deaths is wrong. But she was smiling while she said it, and my Dad was sort of dancing in the background, so…" She shrugged.

"She was happy about her aunt dying?" Hermione exclaimed, clearly horrified.

Sirius' face darkened. "You'd have been happy, too, if she had done to you what she did to Andromeda. When they found out about her and Ted…" His eyes met Remus' again, and his words ended in a humourless chuckle. "Well, it wasn't pretty."

"Mum won't even tell me about all of it," Tonks nodded. "But we met Narcissa once in Diagon Alley when I was nine or so, and she just disapparated me home right there on the spot. Even though she had only the day before lectured Dad about not apparating me before I could do it myself."

"You know, in Andie's place I'd have just hexed the bitch..." Sirius murmured, but Harry stared.

"Narcissa...as in Narcissa Malfoy?"

Tonks nodded. "Yup. My Mum's sister."

Harry suddenly remembered how she had called Malfoy her cousin in the great hall. His head swirled back to Sirius. "So you're related to the Malfoys!?"

His godfather shrugged. "The pureblood families are all related to each other really, one way or another." He nodded over to Ron. "I'm pretty sure your Dad is some sort of distant uncle of mine..." He shrugged. "Anyway, enough of that. How was your day?"

As they talked, Harry felt his gaze wandering over to Tonks repeatedly. He didn't quite know what to make of her. She seemed nice enough – slightly overenthusiastic and a bit loud maybe, but not in an annoying way – but he couldn't help but feel a bit odd around her. After all, she had been one of the Aurors who had tried to send him back to the Dursleys. But as the evening wore on, he realized that neither Sirius nor Remus seemed to have any qualms about her, and especially Sirius seemed to enjoy her company quite a bit.

 _Maybe that's why you dislike her. Because she's stealing his attention from you._

As soon as the thoughts had formed in his head, he felt horrible about them, and hastily pushed them aside. He was happy for Sirius, he decided. Sirius had found a family member, despite being thought of as a murderer by the whole world, despite having had a childhood home that he hated. After spending so much time in Azkaban, Harry could hardly begrudge him that happiness, could he?

* * *

 **Poor Tonks...  
**

 **Hope that conversation at the end was not too much of a copy from OotP, but I felt like Sirius' family would be something Harry would ask after even if he didn't see the Black tapestry.**

 **Also, as sad as I was to drop it, I could not see Tonks turning Malfoy into a ferret and get away with it, so I had to change that scene a little...I hope I did not mess it up to badly.**

 **So what did you think?**


	18. Teaching Paperwork

**Meant to update sooner, but uni is a bitch.**

 **RoboTitaness: Thanks! Totally missed that!**

 **CaseLC: There's no way Tonks would admit that to either of them, she'd be far too embarrassed!**

 **CaskettFan5: Thanks! I too think Sirius was griveously overlooked in the books (actually I didn't feel like Rowling liked him very much), and it's fun to make up for it. Good point about Harry, I think I've accidentally written him a bit more mature than he is in canon... maybe I can put it down to him having an actual home now.**

 **Gerenuk: Definitely misplaced, Tonks does not care about Charlie romantically in any way. Not that Remus will believe that..**

 **The Silvernote: No worries, I'm thankful for constructive criticism. About Sirius taking it well, we'll see later that all is not as bright as it looks. I just felt that most of is foul moot in OotP was down to him being locked up in a place he hates, so obviously he should be a bit more cheerful here (at least on the surface). Moony's swearing...I try and keep it separated so that he only swears around Sirius and Tonks and not the children (as I feel he'd be a bit more conscious about bad influence than those two), but I do realize that I probably get it mixed up a bit sometimes.**

* * *

 **Teaching Paperwork**

Remus met a wide range of student reactions to his return, and his condition, but they broadly fell into three categories. There were the enthusiastic ones, like the Weasley twins who had actually broken into applause when he entered the classroom, telling him that he should feel honoured because his was the only homework they had actually done (which wasn't much of an achievement really, as he had learned from Professor McGonagall that they had only taken three subjects each).

Some of them seemed to find his condition downright _cool_. Colin Creevey, muggle born, even asked if it was true silver was deadly to him, at which point Remus had struggled to keep a straight face.

"No," he had told the class, failing to keep the amusement out of his voice, "If you were to shoot me with a silver bullet I would die, obviously, but you could achieve the same result with lead. Which would be a great deal cheaper, I should say."

Then there were the openly hostile ones, like Draco Malfoy, who came from pureblood families to whom werewolves ranked even below muggle-borns and who only kept their tongues because they knew he had permission from Dumbledore to expel anyone from his classroom who objected to being taught by a werewolf.

Remus felt flattered by the former and unconcerned by the latter group – after all, hateful comments was something he had gotten quite used to over the summer – but what really kept him up at night was the third group – the ones who were afraid of him.

With sneers he could deal; ignore them or put them in detention if they interrupted his lessons. But how should he react when a first year was trembling in his seat every time Remus spoke, afraid to even look at him? Sirius told him not to worry, that they'd soon realize he was a harmless old bore and not at all exciting like the werewolves in the stories.

"And look at it that way," he had grinned, stuffing yet another cauldron cake into his mouth as he was lounging on the couch, "They'll at least do their homework cos they think you'll rip off their heads if they don't."

Tonks was only slightly more helpful. "As long as Snape's teaching, you have no chance of winning scariest teacher anyway," she had grinned. "Just wait for them to find out what a git he is and they'll be glad to be in your class."

Sirius had laughed. "You look a lot more fetching in a dress than he does, though." At that point, Tonks had asked how Sirius knew what Remus looked like in a dress, and he had quickly changed the topic.

All in all, he was rather wary as he made his way to his classroom on Wednesday to meet the Gryffindor first years. Just as with previous classes, at least the younger ones, there was a mad scramble for the seats at the back, furthest away from the blackboard – and him. Remus decided to ignore it, busying himself with writing down the curriculum on the board. He could smile and tell them not to worry, assure them he wasn't going to bite them, but he doubted it would help.

To his surprise, the first row wasn't empty when he turned around. Instead, there were two boys sitting there. One had mousy brown hair and bright brown eyes that shone with excitement – Remus remembered Colin Creevey, and decided that this must be his brother – and the other was Jarek Bosko.

It was the first time Remus saw him up close since that day in Diagon Alley. Here, surrounded by boys his own age and sitting next to Dennis Creevey, who was simply tiny, he did not look quite so scrawny, though he held his head low, shoulders slouched. His hair almost reached his shoulder and was unkempt; even though he had inherited it from his mother it did not shine silvery like hers but hung tangled and limp. His robes were rumbled, tie knotted around his neck in an ugly scrawl. He had the air of somebody who did not care about his appearance at all, and Remus though that Val would surely be horrified if she could see him like this.

As the class took out their parchment and ink, he studied him a bit more closely. Jarek did not look happy; his brown eyes were dull and firmly directed on his table, as if the boy next to him wasn't even there. Remus wondered if it was hard for him to find friends given his struggle with English, and felt a guilty pang. He had told Val he'd look after the boy, but he could hardly help him find friends, could he?

He realized that the class was staring at him expectantly – or fearfully, for the most part – and tore his gaze away from the Jarek, smiling instead at the rest of them.

"Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. My name's Remus Lupin, and I – " He paused. Dennis Creevey's hand had shot up almost immediately, narrowly missing Jarek's ear, who threw the other boy a disgruntled look and scraped his chair further to the other side.

"Yes, Mr – Creevey, is it?"

Dennis Creevey nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Sir! Is it true that you are a werewolf? My brother says so, but you don't really look like one." There was some shocked murmur at the end of the room, and several students stared at him in open horror, as if they expected him to lunge at Creevey and tear him to pieces over such a question.

Remus decided to ignore them, smiling instead to himself – he had heard those words before, right after his friends found out about him. He'd never forget the look of actual _disappointment_ on Sirius' face when he realized that, while indeed a werewolf, Remus was still just as bookish and boring as before.

"And what do you expect a werewolf should look like?" he asked, still smiling.

Creevey frowned. "Well...I dunno, scarier I suppose. _Hairier_."

Remus had to stifle a laugh. He had a feeling that Sirius and the Creevey brothers would get along tremendously. "I assure you, I look very hairy during the full moon," he told the first year, who was staring at him in open wonder. Werewolves weren't supposed to be on the curriculum until the third year, but given they'd have him as their teacher he might as well start with it.

"The lycantrophy – that's the medical term – does not affect the human appearance. There are some changes, like increased hearing, and heavy fatigue in the days close to the full moon, but apart from that there are no outward signs. Except, of course-" he added, pointing at his face, "The scars. They do not heal like normal wounds, and cannot be removed through magic." He realized that by now, he did not only have Creevey's full attention, but that of the others as well. Some of them even forgot to look scared, staring at him in with open curiosity now.

"Have you ever bite anybody?"

Remus froze, and the slight optimism vanished as soon as it had come. Jarek had finally lifted his gaze from the table, staring at Remus now with just as much interest as the rest of the class – although there was something else in his brown eyes, something darker – as if he was fascinated by what he heard. It took Remus a moment to regain his composure, and he didn't look at the boy when he finally answered.

"No," he said firmly. "I have never bitten anybody. I spend the full moons locked up, away from anybody I might hurt." His eyes drifted over the class, where fear had returned in many faces. "I won't be spending them in the castle," he told them. "I'll go away in the afternoon, long before the sun sets."

He did not think he had them convinced, but as the lesson went on at least a few of them dared to speak when he asked them questions, and by the end they did not even tremble when they walked past him towards the exit.

Jarek, however, did not speak again, and kept his gaze firmly fixed on the table. Remus had planned on asking him to stay behind, but before he could do so Dennis Creevey approached, asking about his eating habits. After Remus had established that he did not, in fact, enjoy raw meat, Jarek was already out of the door.

He walked over to his office to get ahead on some marking, but fled as soon as he had opened the door – Sirius had obviously found the old gramophone that had been hidden away in a wardrobe and was now blasting The Who at a noise level that Remus had not thought the ancient machine capable of.

Instead he made his way over to the staff room, which was empty except for Professor Snape, who took one sneering look at him and vanished, and Professor Vektor.

"Afternoon," he said, smiling politely and sitting down at the table.

She looked up from where she was boiling water. "Oh, hello. Cup of tea?"

"That would be lovely, yes." He sighed, pulling out the essays he had made his fourth years write over the holidays, something he was quickly regretting now as he looked over to the much more interesting looking book that his colleague was reading.

She came back to the table, catching his look. "Nothing too exciting, I'm afraid," she said. "It's a new publication which I thought might be useful for the fifth years, but it seems to far too in depth for OWL level."

Remus strained to read the author. "Lukas Karuzos," he mused, trying to remember where he'd heard that name before and grimacing when he did. "Didn't he write that dreadful historical paper they made everyone read for NEWT courses?"

Professor Vektor looked up, surprise on her face. "He did, yes – I didn't know you took Arithmancy that far. Few people do NEWTs, nowadays."

Remus smiled wistfully. He wondered how old Professor Vektor was. She looked younger than him, but not by much. They should have been at Hogwarts together, although he could not remember ever seeing her. Then again, he had not taken such a rigorous approach to getting acquainted with the female population of Hogwarts as Sirius had.

"I did, yes, though I haven't given it much attention since I left school. I'm dreadfully behind on current research, I'm afraid."

Professor Vektor laughed. "Oh, this isn't current research, even though Karuzos would like us to think so." She pointed at the book, which was titled _New Theory of Numerology_ , "I don't think there's anything in there that you wouldn't find in another book. But it's put together nicely, and he seems to have finally learned the spell checking spell."

Remus laughed with her. "That's nice to know. I remember being rather impressed at his uncanny ability to put more misspellings into a word than it had letters. I actually ended up rewriting it and gave that copy to Professor Ograine, but he did not take it kindly. Later I found out Karuzos was a friend of his."

"He was? That would explain it." Vektor shook her head. "I took it off the curriculum as soon as I got the post. Though if you still happen to have that copy... it _was_ an interesting text, if one actually managed to decipher it."

Remus smiled. "I'll look for it," he promised, taking a sip of his tea and thinking that he should probably start on these essays. Maybe he should go for Harry's first; given that he had actually helped him write it that one should not hold too many nasty surprises...

"How are the lessons going, then?" Professor Vektor obviously had no desire to get back to her book quickly, and was regarding him over her cup of tea with a friendly smile. "The students are not giving you too much grief, I hope?"

It took him a moment to realize that she was talking about his lycantrophy. "Oh," he said, dragging his mind away from historical curses to the current conversation. "Nothing I can't deal with." He smiled in a manner that was hopefully polite as well as deterring. As likeable as Professor Vektor was, she was in no way somebody he would talk about his inner self doubts to. "Friendlier than I expected, really. How about yours? Any promising new Arithmancers?"

She laughed. "Not really. The new NEWT course consists of five people, and I'm certain that Warrington will drop out before the end of the week. Since Gringotts lowered their requirements to OWL level few people bother."

Remus nodded. "It's not exactly what people call a fruitful subject," he agreed. "Shame, really. I always found it rather enticing. And it's extraordinary useful in experimental Charms."

Professor Vektor smiled, obviously flattered by his admiration for her subject. "I suppose. I've never really dabbled in the experimental side. It seems rather a rather undignified use for it."

Remus, whose Arithmancy skills had proven most useful in a lot of Marauder pranks, and who still felt pride every time he made chewing gum fly up someone's nose, said nothing.

Before he could once again focus on his essays, the door opened. Immediately he felt a smile creep onto his face.

"Auror Tonks."

"Wotcher, Professors," she grinned at him, walking over and setting down the heap of parchment she'd been carrying next to his stack of essays. "Mind if I join you in the boring paperwork department?"

Professor Vektor did not seem amused, eying Tonks' hair – a very violent shade of acid green today – wearily and offering her a thin-lipped smile.

Remus, however, felt himself grin. "Make yourself at home. Tea? If you're in need of dreary paperwork, I've got an-" he squinted at the parchment in front of him, "Well, it _was_ supposed to be an essay on medieval curses, but I think Miss Brown might have misheard me. A culinary journey through the middle ages, then. Refreshing change."

He held the parchment out to her, summoning another cup of tea with the other hand. Tonks laughed, grabbing one of her own. "I see your courses and raise you a census on vampire populations across Europe."

Remus made a face, looking back at his own essay. "Well, this one _does_ have cauldron cakes in it, so I think I'll stick with mine," he said light-heartedly, finally making a move to unscrew his ink bottle. "What brings you down here, anyway?"

Tonks shrugged, staring at her parchment with a sort of resigned lethargy. "Seemed like too much of a hassle to find my way back to my office only to then get lost again on my way to dinner. At least from here I know the way."

Remus started to chuckle when Professor Vektor looked over. "Aren't you next to the music room? That's actually not that long a way."

Tonks visibly shrunk. "Yeah, well, I'm really rubbish at orientation," she muttered, her grin vanishing.

"Actually, this castle is surprisingly tricky to navigate, I find," Remus said, smiling lightly in an attempt to raise her mood. "Back when I was a student my friends and I got so fed up with getting lost, we made ourselves a map." Instantly, the grin was back, and Tonks burst into laughter.

Professor Vektor gave a weird half-chuckle, as if she couldn't decide between frowning and laughing, and went back to her book. For a while they were silent, working on their respective paperwork.

Occasionally Tonks sighed, or muttered something unflattering about whichever colleague had saddled her with his work. Remus made a steady progress through his essays – sadly, Lavender Brown had been the only one to misread his directions, so it proved a rather boring exercise. As interesting as the subject matter might be, after reading the same paragraph from the same book for the tenth time (rephrased if he was lucky, plainly copied in most cases), he started to thoroughly hate himself for setting the work.

"Oh, come on," he muttered when he reached the last one. "If you're going to have your house-elf write it, at least tell him to copy your handwriting."

Tonks looked up. "Your students make _house-elves_ do their homework?" she asked incredulously.

Remus shrugged, looking at the name. "This one does, apparently. Look, it's your cousin..." He shook his head, staring at the several feet of neat writing. "I taught Draco Malfoy for a year, and I know that he has neither the brains nor the endurance to write something like this by himself."

Tonks laughed. "Little Draco? He tried to hex Harry the other day."

Remus head shot up. "He what?" He knew that Malfoy was a highly unpleasant child and that there was a bit of history between him and Harry, but he had no idea...

"Don't worry, nothing happened. He's a terrible shot; missed by a mile. I think they were arguing or something, then Harry turned away and Draco attacked him from behind. I almost hexed him till I remembered I'd probably be fired if I stun a fourth year."

Remus frowned. "Did you tell a teacher? Duelling on the corridors is forbidden."

"Is it? I had no idea." Tonks rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway, I just disarmed him and told him what a pathetic little tosser he was, then I insulted his Dad and made everyone laugh at him. Pretty safe to say he hates me now. I like to have a complete set, family-wise."

Professor Vektor stared at her aghast, but Remus had to fight a burst of laughter. Handling it like that was just so... _Tonks._ He managed to limit himself to a very broad grin, and, dipping his quill in red ink, said: "Well, it's safe to say that after getting back this-" he gestured the essay, "he'll hate me, too. We should start a club."

"That'd be a big club," Tonks said mock-contemplatively, "He's a hateful little prick."

Again, Remus had to fight a grin, trying his hardest to keep his voice neutral. "Well, as his teacher I can hardly say that. I believe the professorial version is that, socially, he _always tried his hardest._ " Tonks guffawed, spilling tea over her notes and earning herself a rather strained glare from Professor Vektor.

Remus wondered if the friendly reception his colleague had given him was about to die a premature death. He also found that he could hardly bring himself to care, not when he had Tonks sitting next to him, eyes shining with amusement, amusement that he had put there.


	19. Meeting Old Friends

**SilentAqua: Don't worry, I'm not planning to have Sirius end up with any of those. Each to their own, but I don't think any of that was in any way implied in the books. Sirius has quite a lot to deal with anyway for now so he won't be looking for a partner any time soon. (Not to forget that he's officially a dog...)**

 **alix33: Yeah, that would be a very scary prospect indeed... I apologize about Jarek's accent. Truth be told, I'm not quite sure how to write it properly, so it might come across a bit unrealistic. Luckily, he's not one for many words anyway, so I won't have to worry about it too much.**

 **Beanbag: There will be, don't worry. This is mainly a Remus/Tonks story, so Harry won't be in the focus, but there'll be more of him soon. :)**

 **VlightPhase: I read through the end of the third book again, and from what I could see most students seemed sad Lupin was leaving even though they knew he was a werewolf, so I gathered most would not actually object to him returning (even if their parents might). Those who are scared of him are mostly just the first years who haven't actually met him, so they'll probably calm down soon. I don't think Vektor will disapprove of Remus, even if he's friends with Tonks. He's far too good at being nice to people to have anybody object to him (outside of the werewolf thing, obviously).**

 **acorntreeinc: Thanks! Don't hesitated to point the errors out to me, I always try and fix them all before posting the next chapter :)**

* * *

 **Catching up with old friends (and boggarts)**

As the week went on, Tonks was finding it ever easier to navigate from her rooms to the rest of the castle, and rarely ever got lost. Her days were rather more monotone than she had hoped – as predicted, Hogwarts needed a security officer as much as it did a dishwasher. She spent all her time doing paperwork for her colleagues – but then, as the newest recruit, she'd have done that anyway, and this way she at least got great food.

And it was nice being back at Hogwarts. She hadn't realized quite how much she had missed the school. In her seventh year she had been far too excited about starting Auror training to think much about leaving, and only now, being back, it hit her quite how wonderful this castle was, and how much she missed its inhabitants. Some of which she still knew surprisingly well.

"Tonks?"

It was break time, and the corridors were full and noisy so that she only heard the shouts when the person calling was directly behind her. She turned around, and for a moment she couldn't place the young man grinning expectantly at her at all. Then she recognized the freckles, and the strawberry blonde hair, and her eyes grew wide.

"Leo?"

His grin grew broader. "Hi Tonks! Glad you still know me."

Tonks laughed. "Close call. You've grown like a foot."

It was true. The last time she had seen Leo Beckett he was in a rather plump third year with a round baby face. Now she actually had to look up at him, and his broad shoulders spoke of a very well trained body. His face had lost its youthful appearance, and he was even sprouting a reddish stubble. A quick calculation told her that he had to be in his seventh year now.

"How are you?" As soon as the initial surprise had worn off, she felt guilt creeping up on her. Thea Beckett, Leo's sister, had been her closest friend at Hogwarts, and yet after they had left school, they had seen less and less of each other.

It wasn't all Tonks' fault, even though Auror training didn't exactly leave much room for a social life, as Thea had started working as a travelling reporter, and was out of the country more than she was at home, but Tonks hadn't even so much as written to her for several months now.

Leo grinned. "Great! Better since you left, actually – Poach gave me your spot on the team."

That would explain the muscles. She mock-frowned. "Well, as far as I hear you haven't done a great job, have you? You guys haven't actually won the cup since I left."

"We did beat Gryffindor last year!" Leo complained. "And we'd have won this year if those gits hadn't cancelled it." Tonks couldn't help but silently agree. She had been quite disappointed to learn that there wouldn't actually be any Quidditch matches to watch while she was here.

"Who's captain now, then?" she asked, interested to learn what else had been going on in Hufflepuff house since she had left.

"Diggory," Leo supplied. "He's the last one left of your old team I think. He's really good, miles better than the rest of us, anyway. Do you still play?"

Tonks laughed. "Aurors aren't great about Quidditch, I'm afraid. Are you still planning to join us? If you do we could try to start an Auror team."

Leo shook his head. "Only got an A in Potion OWLs, and I'm abysmal at Herbology as well. Might still try though; now that we got Lupin there's a chance I can at least get a decent Defence NEWT. Mum and Dad want me to take over the owlery, though."

He made a face, and Tonks grinned. She still remembered Thea's annual rant after the holidays, complaining about the galleons of bird poo she had to clean on her parents' owl farm. No wonder she had left the country at the first opportunity.

"Good luck with that, then," Tonks grinned, waving as she spotted a familiar figure crossing the corridor. "See you around, Leo."

* * *

Remus was nearly at his office when she caught up with him. "Morning!"

He turned around slowly, a strangely vacant expression on his face. When he saw her, he smiled vaguely. "Tonks. I was just...just going to have a hot chocolate."

Tonks eyes lit up. "Mind if I join you?" He nodded, throwing a quick glance behind him at the empty corridor before opening the door and letting her in.

„Wow, you look awful. Hey Tonks." Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' greeting, but didn't comment.

"Wotcher," Tonks said, entering the room after Remus, "Mind if I join you for a while? Remus promised hot chocolate."

Sirius head shot up. "Really? Cool! Make me one too, Moony?"

Again, Remus didn't answer, disappearing into the kitchen without another word. "What did you do to him? He looks like he got trampled by a hippogriff." Sirius asked, turning to Tonks with a slight frown.

She shrugged. "Dunno, he was like this when I found him." She sat down next to Sirius, thinking that he was right. She hadn't noticed before, but now that she thought about it; Remus _did_ look very shaken.

"Is that a burn hole on your sleeve?" Sirius asked when Remus came back into the room carrying a tray of biscuits and hot chocolate. Remus merely nodded, sinking into his armchair and closing his eyes. He took a sip of his chocolate, sighed, and opened them again, looking a great deal more alive than before.

"A bloody _basilisk_ ," he muttered.

Tonks frowned. "A what?"

"A basilisk," Remus said again, setting down his mug and straightening up somewhat, obviously reinvigorated by the chocolate. "In my classroom."

„Hang on, there's another basilisk roaming Howarts?" Sirius looked utterly confused. "Shouldn't we, like, inform the ministry or something?"

Remus rolled his eyes at him, before explaining. "I did boggarts with my third years today – "

"You promised you'd let me watch!" Sirius exclaimed, being ignored,

"– and sadly forgot that one of them had a run in with a basilisk two years ago. You can imagine how hard it is to tell him to "think of something funny" when there's a gigantic snake demolishing the classroom. I tried to get it to focus on me, but then this other boy got in the way, screaming like whatnot, and it turns out that _he_ was afraid of fire crabs..." He sighed, as Tonks and Sirius were doubling over with laughter. "Not my most shining moment of teaching."

"You know, I'm seriously pissed now," Tonks said when she had recovered from laughing. "That's the _second_ awesome boggart story you made me miss. Can't you have me watch next time, as...I dunno, security?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "I'm perfectly capable of handling a boggart on my own, thank you. It's a Defence Class, not a spectator sport."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, perfectly capable... you do know there's a hole burnt into your shoe as well?" Remus looked down, cursing when he saw his own sock staring back at him. "Tragic," Sirius remarked dryly to Tonks as he watched his friend fruitlessly trying to mend his shoe with magic. "They were practically brand new. I still remember him buying them... in _1979_."Remus shot him an annoyed look, but put his wand away and leant back.

"I never even faced a boggart in school," Tonks mused. "That year we had this really ancient guy, and he had us do nothing but read books. Mad-Eye nearly had a fit when I told him in Auror training that I had no idea what my boggart even looked like. Dragged me down into the beings Division on the spot."

Sirius grinned. "Sounds like him. So what is yours?"

Remus cleared his throat. "That's rather personal, isn't it?"

But Tonks merely shrugged. „You know all your students' boggarts," she pointed out. "And mine's really boring, it's just me in my Mum's clothes. Cos apparently I _really_ don't want to become like her."

Sirius guffawed. "Moony, bring me a boggart. I want to see Tonks in one of Andromeda's dresses."

Tonks poked her tongue out at him. "What's yours, then? Fleas?"

At that, Remus was laughing. "Close! Last I checked it was a flesh eating slug."

Sirius made a face. "Oh, sod off. I was twelve! It changed now anyway."

Tonks was just about to open her mouth to ask what it could be, but she caught Remus' warning glance just in time, and quickly bit her tongue. After twelve years of Azkaban, his boggart probably wasn't something Sirius wanted to be reminded of.

"So what's yours?" she asked Remus instead, adding with a playful wink: "If it's not too personal."

Remus rolled his eyes in mock annoyance, but his expression became solemn. "I would have thought that was obvious."

Tonks frowned, wondering if she was crossing some sort of line again. "Is it...is it Greyback?" she asked tentatively.

At that, Remus seemed genuinely surprised. "Greyback?" he repeated, frowning for a moment. "He already did to me the worst thing he can do. Why would I fear him?"

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, 'cos being a werewolf is worse than being dead. Please spare us the litany of how much better we would all be off if he had killed you back then." When Remus opened his mouth to protest, Sirius interrupted him and turned to Tonks. "It's the full moon," he explained.

"Oh," Tonks made, wondering why she hadn't thought of that. "Really?" Remus nodded slowly.

He still seemed solemn, but not annoyed. "Yes. Only times I have ever seen the full moon with my own eyes since I was four, actually." He smiled, as if to show that he had no qualms talking about this. "Anyway, break's over so I'm afraid I'll have to head back to the classroom now. I don't mean to kick you out Tonks, but it might look odd if you're found in my office while I'm teaching."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Who's gonna come by? All your friends are in this room."

Remus threw him a tired glance. "How you managed to avoid capture for a whole year with that level of discretion is completely beyond me." He smiled at Tonks. "I can hardly forbid you from seeing Sirius, but please be careful not to be seen when you do leave."

Sirius gave a barking laugh. "Or what, people will think you're having a secret affair? Right..."

Remus didn't even answer before leaving the office, but Tonks furrowed her brow. "Isn't that exactly what you were thinking, like, two weeks ago?"

In truth, she was a little bit offended by Sirius' statement. Her and Remus seeing each other wasn't _that_ far-fetched – was it?

Apparently it was, as Sirius merely rolled his eyes again. "That's before I knew it was _you_. And it was mostly wishful thinking, anyway. This is Moony we're talking about, it's not like he's ever gonna get himself a girl." Tonks opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it. No need to embarrass herself in front of Sirius by accidentally letting slip that she sorta-maybe-definitely fancied his best friend.

"How's the gorgon report going?" Sirius asked, "Any breakthrough arrests yet?"

Tonks poked her tongue out at him. "I'm still more productive than you."

Sirius laughed darkly. "A _flobber worm_ is more productive than I am right now."

* * *

In the end, it wasn't Sirius who found her out.

Inspired by her run-in with Leo, Tonks had decided to finally write to Thea, and finding out she was actually in the country this week, suggested they get together. They met up in the Three Broomsticks on the second Monday of the term, chatting about all that had been going on since they last spoken, and it took Thea about five minutes to figure out what was going on.

"You like him," she stated when Tonks had finished the story about the basilisk-boggart, grinning triumphantly.

Tonks felt the colour flush into her face, and quickly morphed it away. "Do not!" she protested into her drink, not meeting her friend's eyes. But she had no chance against Thea, self-styled queen of dating advice back at Hogwarts.

"You _do_!" she laughed, looking as if Christmas had come early. "Is he hot, then? He looked a bit shabby in the papers, to be honest."

Tonks glared at her. "He's not shabby!" she protested, unable to catch herself in time. Thea giggled again, and Tonks resigned herself to her fate. "He's...dunno. He's been unemployed for a long time," she said, trying to phrase it so that she wouldn't accidentally insult Remus. "And those pictures were from right after the full moon, so of course he looked a bit ill."

Thea's eyes grew wide. "Right, he's a werewolf...Reckon he's good in bed? Maybe he likes it doggy style-"

"Thea!" Tonks cried, mortified, and no morphing in the world kept her face from lighting up like a tomato as people were starting to look at them.

Her friend merely laughed again, sucking at her straw with a dangerous sparkle her eyes. She had always enjoyed embarrassing other people far too much. "So what's the plan of action, then?" she asked, leaning forward.

Tonks threw her an annoyed look, half angry, half defeated. "There is no plan," she shrugged unhappily. "He's still in love with his ex." Speaking those words out loud made them hurt even worse than just thinking about it.

Thea's grin vanished, instantly replaced by smypathy. "Oh," she made, looking down. "That sucks."

Tonks shrugged, eager to drop the topic. "It's alright, I'm pretty sure I'm not his type anyway. What about you, then? Still going out with whatshisface?"

Thea rolled her eyes. "His name's Patrick and you now it. And yes, I'm still seeing him – when I'm in the country, anyway." She winked at her, and Tonks couldn't help but snigger. Patrick Arkwood had been one year above them in school and played Keeper in the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, although Tonks – and most Hufflepuffs – all agreed that he really, really shouldn't. He and Thea had been dating on and off for what felt like an eternity, and their regular break-up fights had been popular entertainment in the common room. Yet no matter how badly they fought, a month or two later they were seen strolling the corridors again, holding hands and looking at each other with that annoying couple-vibe that made single people want to strangle them.

Tonks had never been a great fan of Patrick – for a time in her fourth year he had been part of the group that made fun of her Morphing, and even though a particularly bad trashing from Thea – resulting, of course, in another break-up – had made him apologize, he and Tonks had never really seen eye to eye. Her starting a petition to have him forcibly removed from the Qudditch team probably hadn't helped either.

"And when you're not?" she asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer. Thea's smirk confirmed her suspicions. "Then I'm taking whatever's available. I covered this Herbology convention in Italy last month, and there was this one guy..." A dreamy look crept into her eyes, making Tonks certain she did not want to hear the end of that story. It was enough dealing with the misery of her own love life without hearing about the glorious conquests of others.

"And Arkwood's okay with that?" she asked, curiously. Both he and Thea had made a great deal out of dating other people during their breaks, but that was usually just to spite each other. When they were together they had always been faithful – at least to Tonks' knowledge.

Thea shrugged. "Well, it's none of his business, is it? It's not like we're actually together or anything – and I'm pretty sure he's doing the same thing when he's travelling." Catching Tonks' confused look, her eyes grew wide, and she laughed. "Oh, you don't know, do you?" She laughed again, clinging to the table. "Remember how he was always going on about becoming a professional Quidditch player?"

Tonks nodded. It had been a – rather hurtful, now that she thought about it – running gag on the Hufflepuff team, that their worst player was the only one who was considering an actual career in that sport. After he had left Tonks hadn't seen him very often – though the break- and make-ups continued almost uninterrupted in letter-form, and now that Arkwood was using howlers the other houses got to witness the drama as well – but from what she had gathered, it hadn't looked good.

"Well, guess which team took him." Thea grinned expectantly, and then, unable to hold it in anymore, burst out: "The cannons! He's playing for the _Chudley Cannons_!" She erupted into laughter once more, and Tonks joined her.

"How in Merlin's name did that happen?" she finally managed, still shaking with amusement. Thea shook her head. "No idea. Maybe he was the only one to apply...He got in two years ago, and he's off the reserve since last summer. Was a bit miffed after I started laughing when he told me..." Tonks grinned. She could very well imagine the scene.

"So is he making a difference? Are they finally winning something?" she asked in mock seriousness. Since she had moved out and thus away from her father's constant Quidditch coverage, she had been following the league only occasionally, and only bothered to listen to the top games. Which of course weren't the ones the Chudley Cannons took part in.

Thea snorted. "Course not. I mean, he's not worse than the guy before him – or the rest of the team – but that's not really high praise, is it?" She shrugged. "But he's happy, and he's making money while he's at it. Guess there are worse jobs."

Tonks nodded. "Yeah, like digging through an entire Department worth of paperwork," she sighed, taking a sip from her drink. "In the brochure they said we'd be catching dark wizards. The most dangerous thing I've encountered so far is a paper cut."

Thea smirked. "Not to forget hot werewolf professors!"

* * *

 **Again not much of either Sirius or Harry, but that'll change by the next chapter, I promise!  
**

 **Have a nice week and don't forget to review! ;)**


	20. Four Champions

**Hello! Since I'm updating both Lakeside and Letter today I might as well go for the full set and give you another Drag me chapter as well :)**

 **alix33: Not sure about the biscuits, but Remus doesn't really do fancy so it was probably something plain like shortbread. I sincerely doubt he was giving much thought to the flavour combination in his shell-shocked state... Good point about the pensieve! But I think secretly Remus doesn't mind the nagging, having spent so many years on his own.  
**

 **confusedblondie: Thanks for your lovely message! Meant to answer but decided I can just as well do it here. I have actually read Scarred Roots (more than once, even) but I agree, it's a very nice fic. Thanks for the recommendation!**

 **CaseLC: Thanks! I'm always a bit apprehensive about OCs, as they can often steal too much attention away from the characters that people actually want to read about. I'm glad you liked them anyway :)**

 **SilentAqua: Don't worry, there'll be plenty of Harry and Sirius in the coming chapters :)**

* * *

 **Four Champions**

"I really hope it's not Warrington. I think I'd rather see Durmstrang or Beauxbatons win than a Slytherin."

Ron nodded. "Or Diggory. I mean – a _Hufflepuff_?"

"Careful there!" Sirius laughed. "My cousin here does not take lightly to her house being slanted."

They were sitting in Remus' quarters – Harry, Ron and Hermoine with Tonks, Remus and Sirius – whiling away the time until the feast started and the school champions would be chosen. Tonks had found herself here often during the last month – apart from Hagrid she didn't really know any of the other professors personally, and most of them were a lot older than her anyway. She spent a lot of the time when Remus was teaching with Sirius, and the two of them had grown very close. It was fun talking to him; he like the older brother she had never had, and the stories he told about his time at Hogwarts were always entertaining.

There was, of course, another reason why Tonks was coming here so often. Said reason was currently busying himself with cleaning away some dishes, smiling over his back at the discussion in front of the fireplace. Tonks had stopped trying to deny it, and flat out admitted (only to herself, of course) that she had an enormous crush on Remus. A pointless, illogical, and completely hopeless crush. Which refused to go away, no matter how much she hoped. And so she was inwardly glad that Sirius was only really allowed to transform in here, because it meant that going to see him was a brilliant excuse to spend time with Remus as well.

"You were a Hufflepuff?" Ron asked, staring at her with open surprise.

Tonks nodded, grinning challengingly. "I was. Got a problem with that?"

Ron blushed madly looking very frightened now. "No! Of course not, I just...I mean, Hufflepfuff is great!"

"HA!" Tonks yelled triumphantly, turning to Sirius. "You heard him. We're great, from one of your own house. Hufflepuff one, Gryffindor nil."

Ron looked confused, Harry laughed and Sirius scowled. "That's not fair! You tricked him-"

"Who else applied from Hogwarts?" Remus asked coming over to them, obviously trying to avoid open inter- house warfare.

"Angelina Johnson from us, "Hermione supplied. "And I think I saw a Ravenclaw girl put her name in, but I don't know what she is called." "

"Roger Davies, too" Ron added. "Their Quidditch captain."

Harry shrugged. "I think the rest just kept it quiet."

"I'd totally have gone for it," Tonks said, thoughtfully. "If I'd been old enough, of course."

"Couldn't you've just...you know, morphed yourself older?" Ron asked, curiously.

She shook her head. "Not with that age line. I only change my appearance, not my age. I could _look_ like ninety and still not get through. This is Dumbledore we're talking about; I don't think anybody could fool him."

"We could have," Sirius said, pride in his voice. "The Marauders would have eaten that age line for breakfast."

"And how would we have done that, exactly?" Remus asked, openly sceptical but mildly interested.

Sirius shrugged. "Dunno. Send you to the library for a couple of hours, make Peter try out the obvious stuff like aging potion, then get a brilliant idea and win that tournament. Dumbledore never even knew we were animagi, I think we'd have gotten a piece of paper into a bloody cup behind his back."

"And you guys wonder why the other houses think you're arrogant," Tonks muttered, shaking her head.

"Yes, I am beginning to see your point," Remus agreed, thoughtfully watching his friend before turning towards her. "How was London?"

Tonks made a face. "Dreadful, really. Kingsley wasn't in so I had to talk to Dawlish, and he was a prick, as always. Actually told me snoop after you; seems to think you're planning to go on a rampage or something."

She could see Remus flinch, but Sirius merely snorted. "Shouldn't he be sending you after Karkaroff instead? Unlike Remus, that guy _is_ proven to be a dark wizard."

"Karkaroff is a dark wizard?" Hermoine asked, alarmed.

Sirius nodded, face suddenly grim. "He was a Death Eater. Got out of Azkaban by saying he was sorry and giving them a lot of names."

"You should hear Mad-Eye go on about him," Tonks added. "Says he doesn't care what information he gave the ministry, Death Eater stays Death Eater and he belongs in Azkaban."

"They let him go because he told them he was sorry!?" Harry exclaimed.

Remus smiled resignedly. "No, Harry. They let him go because he told them enough other names they could lock up. Get three Death Eaters for letting one escape, that's a good deal in their eyes."

"And then they let him teach at a school?" Ron asked incredulously. "Be _headmaster_?"

Tonks shrugged. "He was cleared of all charges; they can't forbid him from doing anything. And they really think he regrets what he has done."

"Do you?" Harry asked, looking at his godfather. "Believe he's sorry, I mean."

"No," Sirius said immediately. "Not for a second."

"He might," Remus objected. "I only encountered him once back then-"

"Yeah, when he was torturing you!" Sirius interrupted.

Remus shook his head. "Dolohov did that. Karkaroff was a bystander."

"Torturing you?" Tonks repeated, alarmed. Of course she had known Remus and Sirius had fought against Death Eaters, but none of them ever talked about that.

"Not important," Remus said quickly, casting a warning glance to Sirius. His message was clear. _Not in front of the children._ Sirius looked like he had more to say, but shrugged, and turned back to Harry.

"Point is, don't trust him. I don't think he's a guy who acts on his own accord, but there's still a lot of Death Eaters, in- and outside of Azkaban, who want you dead. Don't do anything reckless."

* * *

"No."

"Sirius, I spoke to Dumbledore. There's nothing we can-"

" _No._ "

"They are safe now. The ministry wouldn't have reintroduced it if there was a risk of any of them dying-"

"Of the seventeen-year-olds! Harry is _fourteen_! He's not _taking part!_ " The glass of firewhisky was flung against the wall, shattering into a million pieces.

"Sirius, _calm down_ " Remus rose to his feet, hand drifting towards his wand.

As he had feared, Sirius had spent the time on his own drinking, which did not make his reaction to the news that Harry was now a Triwizard Champion any quieter.

"Calm down?" Sirius laughed hysterically, voice raspy from the alcohol. "How can you say that when Harry will be forced to-"

"Because there is nothing we can do," Remus repeated, stepping forward and putting a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Trust me, I tried to change Dumbledore's mind. But he's right, the contract..." He shook his head, still not quite over the shock of what had happened after dinner. "All we can do now is try and get him through it in one piece. We _will_ help him, no matter the rules."

Finally, Sirius calmed down somewhat, sinking onto the chair. "Where's Harry? Have you spoken to him?"

Remus shook his head. "Dumbledore sent him straight to bed. I'll tell him to come by tomorrow."

Sirius nodded, and for a while they were silent. "Aw, damn this." Sirius finally sighed, grabbing the Firewhisky and taking a sip straight from the bottle for lack of a glass. "And here I was, complaining of boredom..."

* * *

"Do you have any idea who put your name into the goblet?" The question was over Sirius' lips even before Remus could offer Harry and Hermione some tea. He went and made some anyway.

"No," Harry said, heavily sitting down opposite his godfather. His face was pale, and the rings under his eyes betrayed his tiredness. Remus wondered if he had slept at all. "Ron thinks I did it."

"What?"

Sirius stared at him, aghast, and Harry hastily added: "I didn't, I swear!"

"Of course you didn't," Remus assured him. "You couldn't have."

"The school seems to think differently," Harry said unhappily. "Everyone's asking me how I fooled that age line."

"Well, they're missing the point then, aren't they?" Sirius said. "The question isn't how you got across that age line – which you didn't, of course – but how there are two Hogwarts Champions."

"Fourth school," Remus supplied. "That's what Tonks guessed last night, and I think she's right. Someone confounded the goblet into thinking there are four schools, and then put in Harry's name as the only applicant for the last one. That way they made certain he got chosen."

"That sounds like a lot of effort for a prank," Hermione said.

"That was no prank, "Sirius muttered darkly. "Someone wants Harry hurt. Or worse."

"But who?" Harry asked. "I mean, Voldemort is dead...and Karkaroff would have to be a really good actor; he seemed genuinely upset."

Sirius shot him a dark look. "He's lied before, hasn't he?"

"I don't think it was him, either," Remus said, walking over with four steaming mugs of tea floating in front of him. "You didn't see him last night, Sirius. That wasn't faked."

"What about Pettigrew?" Hermione asked quietly. At the mention of that name Remus felt himself freeze, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sirius doing the same.

"I don't think it was him," Sirius recovered first. "He's too much of a coward to risk something like this...And it would be Remus and me he wants to get rid of, not Harry."

"It's not his style," Remus agreed. "Getting Harry into this tournament, just so he might get hurt...far too complicated. And Peter knows I'm here, and that the map still exists. He'd never risk coming into Hogwarts."

"Who else, then?" Harry asked, clutching his mug. "The only other people who hate me are the Dursleys and Malfoy."

"Both of whom we can safely rule out," Remus said, thinking. He had laid awake half the night, racking his brains over who could possibly be responsible, but coming to no conclusion whatsoever. "Tonks is at the ministry at the moment" he finally said, realizing that they were getting nowhere and trying to reassure Harry at least a little. "Trying to see if there's a way to annul this whole thing, or if we can at least get some extra rules for you. The chances are slim, but we thought it was worth a try."

"And we'll help you," Sirius added. "I know Remus isn't really allowed to, but we'll just forget he's your teacher for a bit, call him your...dunno, uncle or something."

Harry didn't laugh, but he looked marginally happier, and some colour had returned to his face. "Thank you," he said quietly. "And thanks for believing me."

"Are you kidding?" Sirius exclaimed. "Why would you lie!?"

"Ron will come around soon, Harry," Remus smiled. "I'm sure."

* * *

Ron did not come around soon. Instead, Remus noticed a very pronounced split happening in the school, with the Hogwarts students siding with either one of their two champions, instead of supporting both of them equally. Harry was obviously suffering from the harsh words, with one half of the school insulting him at every possibility and the other congratulating him on a deed that he had never done.

"I know I said I was hoping for Diggory," Tonks said as they were walking to lunch on Halloween, passing another "Potter Stinks"-badge, "but this is just sickening. Bloody Slytherins; now I can't even cheer for Hufflepuff without feeling guilty."

"Children can be cruel, yes, "Remus agreed, casting a searching glance over the Gryffindor table as they made their way to their own table. Harry was nowhere to be seen. "I just wish I knew how to help him."

Harry had been spending a lot of time at Remus' living quarters the past week, avoiding public places and enjoying the company of his godfather. Often Tonks joined them as well. Remus didn't know what to think of that. It obviously did Harry good to have some pleasant company, but it hardly seemed healthy to ignore his fellow students like that – and spending all that time with a teacher (as nobody else knew about Sirius) did not exactly help disperse his reputation for getting special treatment.

"Maybe the feast tonight will cheer him up," Tonks said looking at the opulent decorations around them. Hogwarts had obviously done its best to impress the foreign visitors; even now, hours before the feast started there were swarms of live bats above their heads, and pumpkins as big as hippogriffs. "I forgot how great everything looks at Halloween."

Remus forced himself to smile, even though he felt the last of his cheer leave him. To him, Halloween had not been cause for celebration for thirteen years.

"Yes, the castle has quite outdone himself this year," he agreed neutrally, devoting a lot more concentration to his potatoes than was strictly necessary. Tonks seemed oblivious to his sudden change in mood, happily looking around the great hall. "Do you think we can save Snuffles some of the food later? Smuggle up some dessert for him?"

Remus winced. "I don't think that would be wise," he said finally, deciding that he might as well come clear. "Neither Snuffles nor myself are up for much celebrations today, I'm afraid. I usually spend my Halloweens drinking, and given his recent behaviour I doubt his plans differ much."

There was a short pause, followed by a quiet "Oh." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tonks blushing. "I'm sorry, Remus, I didn't – I didn't think, of course..."

Remus smiled at her mildly. "It's quite alright. It's silly, really, to cling to it like that – Harry doesn't make a fuss; I don't think he even _knows_ that it was Halloween..."

"Of course you're still upset," Tonks told him earnestly, dark eyes shining with sympathy. "It was a terrible day to you, I don't think I'd want to celebrate either. I'll keep an eye out for Harry at the feast, if you want me to."

Remus felt gratitude wash over him. She hadn't even commented on the implied alcoholism, accepting his unwillingness to move on without batting an eyelid. "Thank you," he said, trying to communicate with his eyes that he did not simply mean Harry. And feeling very warm all of a sudden when she beamed back at him, not looking away.

 _Such wonderful eyes..._

He stopped himself, hastily looking back at his plate and continuing eating without another word.

 _No. Don't even think about going down that path._

* * *

 **He's totally gonna go down that path, whether he likes it or not...  
**

 **Review, please? ;)**


	21. Gnoming

**Meant to upload this sooner but got delayed. Shame, really as I almost managed to make Halloween in this story match up with the calendar! Maybe I'll have more luck with Christmas...**

 **VlightPhase: You've got a point about the boggart, I'll admit. I felt it was never really clear in the books how far their powers stretched but you're probably right in that the fire shouldn't actually have burnt Remus. But where'd the fun be in that? About the living quarters/offices, I think they're generally sepearated, but Remus asked for an exception so he wouldn't leave Sirius on his own so much.**

 **CaseLC: No, Tonks is the only one. Hogwarts doesn't really need them, in any way, so her presence is mostly for show.**

* * *

 **Gnoming**

There was no answer when Harry knocked on the door the day before Halloween. Remus was obviously not in his rooms. Feeling no desire whatsoever to go back to the common room to be stared at, he quickly threw a look behind him to check if the corridor really was deserted, before knocking again. "Snuffles? It's me! I'm alone"

There was a muffled bark, and a moment later the door opened. "Blimey, Harry. If Remus knew I let you in on my own he'd skin me."

Harry blushed. "I'm sorry, I...I can leave again."

"Merlin, no!" Sirius quickly shut the door behind him. "I'm bored out of my mind. Butterbeer?"

Harry grinned and nodded, setting down his bag and taking a seat on his favourite armchair. Remus, having resigned himself to the fact that his living room had turned into a miniature common room for convicts, students and Aurors, had permanently conjured a wide arrangement of seats, a lot more comfortable than the ones Sirius made.

"So how's it going, then? Ron still being a prat? I read what Skeeter wrote, by the way. Utter bitch, that woman." Sirius' gaze wandered over to the table, which, as Harry now noticed, had a rather large burn hole on it.

* * *

" _I think it's my parents giving me the strength, I know they'd be proud_ – they'd hex her sorry little arse, that's what they'd do! Actually, I've got half a mind to do it myself."

"Sirius, please put your wand down. You're burning my table."

Sirius stared at him for a moment, fury bristling in his grey eyes, before giving his wand a quick wave. It stopped spraying sparks; instead the Daily Prophet in front of him burst into flames, and Sirius stomped away like a small child.

Sighing, Remus extinguished his table and vanished the ashy remnants of the paper. He'd have to pop by the staff room later and see if he could steal himself a new copy form a less than vigilant colleague.

* * *

Sirius, following Harry's eyes towards the burn hole, quickly cleared his throat. "How are the Skrewts coming along?"

Harry made a face. "Not all dead yet, sadly. Hagrid's making us walk them now, because apparently them killing each other is down to too much spare energy."

Sirius guffawed at that. "You know, I'd have _loved_ his lessons. James and I would probably have stolen one of them...Imagine the look on Remus' face if we smuggled one in his office!"

Harry wasn't sure if his godfather was joking, and grinned cautiously. "Yeah...Where is he, anyway?"

Sirius shrugged. "Supervising detention, I think. Tonks should be here soon, though. She said she'd bring some of her music. Tells me my taste is _outdated_." He snorted. "As if her whining siblings can even be _called_ music compared real Rock." Harry was barely listening, trying very hard to hide the disappointment from his face.

He had hoped for an evening alone with Sirius, and maybe Remus, but Tonks... somehow he always felt a little left out when she was around. Not that he didn't like her; it was just the way she and Sirius would talk about their family, or other things that Harry had no idea about. Of course Remus and Sirius talked about things that had happened before his birth as well, but with them it was always like listening to his parents, and they always made a great deal of including him. With Tonks around, he just felt like the child at an adult party.

Obviously his efforts had failed, because Sirius stopped his ranting about the downfall of music and looked at him inquisitively. "Everything alright, Harry? Apart from...you know, nasty journalists and idiotic best friends."

Harry nodded quickly, forcing a smile on his face. "Yeah, sure. I...I probably shouldn't stay long, I've still got a Divination essay to write."

Sirius shrugged. "Write it here, I'll help. I'm assuming you're still following the ancient and noble Divination tradition of making stuff up as you go along?" Harry failed to return the grin, and Sirius put his Butterbeer bottle down, sitting up straight and looking Harry in the face. There was real concern in his eyes now. "Alright, what's wrong? Did Snape-"

Harry shook his head. "No one did anything." He paused, avoiding Sirius' gaze. "I should probably go; I know Remus doesn't want me to come here so often."

Sirius frowned. "You can come here whenever you like, Harry. I think what Remus means is that you shouldn't feel obliged to – and you're not; please don't think that you have to come and visit me if you don't want to."

Harry winced. "I do want to," he said quietly, staring intently at the Butterbeer bottle. "It's just...I don't want to intrude on you and Tonks. She's your family, and I know you have a lot to catch up on. I can get back some other time."

There was a moment of silence, and when Harry finally looked up he saw confusion on Sirius face. Then his eyes softened. "You do know you're the most important person in my life, don't you Harry?"

It was odd how gentle and sincere he sounded all of a sudden, when just moments ago he had joked about skipping homework and called the Weird Sisters a 'bunch of whimpy little emo kids'.

"Tonks is...she's great, and I'm glad to have someone from my family around that's not a psychopathic murderer, but if you...if you'd rather spend time with me alone, I'll tell her to come by some other time."

Harry gulped, feeling very guilty now. "No, of course not... I like her, I really do. I just...I forget that no matter what I feel, you have a proper family for yourself."

Again, Sirius was silent, and Harry had the feeling that he was weighing his words carefully. "Your Dad was my family," he finally said. "Your grandparents, and Remus, Lily and...Peter... James was a brother to me. And for what it's worth, that hasn't changed. For my part, you're family."

Harry stared at him for a moment, feeling choked and happy at the same time. Then he saw the flicker of doubt in Sirius eyes, and quickly smiled. "You're my family too, Sirius. I...I'm so glad I found you and Remus. "

The grin returned to Sirius' face, and he held out a hand and patted him firmly on the shoulder. "Glad we cleared that up. You should probably mention it to Moony that you think of him as family. It's fun to watch him get all choked up."

There was a knock on the door, and Sirius threw him a questioning look. "Want me to send her away?"

Quickly, Harry shook his head. Suddenly he didn't feel anxious at Tonks' presence at all.

"Wow," the Auror made when Sirius opened the door for her. "Are those tears in your eyes, Black? Did Remus finally find and destroy your liquor stash?" Then she noticed Harry, and grinned. "Wotcher, Harry. Did you make him cry?"

"I'm not crying!" Sirius protested. "We were just...clearing up some family matters." He threw a short glance at Harry, giving him a warm smile before turning back. "Now drop it or I'll dig up some pictures of you actually crying. I've got a lovely one taken right after you fell off your broom. Scratch barely visible, but you're bawling like a – "

"I get it, thanks," Tonks cut him off, pulling out a record from her bag. "Ready for some pop culture that isn't old enough to have its own mortgage?"

"No. We're helping Harry with his homework," Sirius said, smirking.

Tonks took a look at the table, and spotted _Unfogging The Future_. "Divination?" she grinned excitedly. "Awesome! What are we making up, then? Dreams? Tea leaves?"

As it turned out, Sirius and Tonks were even more helpful with his homework than brainstorming with Ron usually was, both having a rich imagination and an ample supply of real-life mishaps to draw from. Tonks' falls down various stairs alone could have lasted him a whole term. After they were finished, they even started on his transfiguration homework, but at that point Remus came back and told them to stop.

" _You're_ telling Harry not to do his homework?" Sirius exclaimed incredulously. "Remus – _I was born as stiff as a corpse_ – Lupin? Who actually _hexed_ _my leg off_ once so I would stay in the library to finish an essay?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "I'm telling him not to have _you two_ do his homework." He threw an apologetic glance at Harry. "I'm sorry Harry, but the point of it is that you learn something, not Sirius reminiscing about how great he was at school.-"

"I _was_ great," Sirius clarified rather smugly.

"-And if you come here to do your homework all the time, people will think that I'm the one helping you. Which would not only be unethical but probably against the school rules as well."

"All hail the rules!" Sirius hollered, still grinning like a maniac.

Remus turned to Tonks, sighing tiredly. "Is he drunk?"

She shook her head. "No, he was like this when I found him. I think he's just happy."

"I _can_ hear you!"

Harry grinned as he was putting away his transfiguration things. Sirius had been in an exceptionally good mood all evening – or rather, since Harry had told him he regarded him as his family. At least for tonight, it was easy to forget the fact that half the school hated him, his best friend thought him a liar and the whole wizarding world thought he was some sort of attention-seeking whiner. Because at least he had a family to get him through now.

A very odd, noisy, and sometimes downright frightening one – Sirius was now firing tiny balls of flame at Remus with an alarming disregard for the safety of furniture and humans alike – but _his_ family.

* * *

On Halloween, a Saturday, Remus spent his afternoon out on the grounds. With autumn well under way the weather had turned grey and stormy, but for now at least it was dry, the sky coloured in steely greys, dark blues and yellows. A rather beautiful sight, although the violent gusts of wind that made the Whomping Willow groan and creak meant that most of the students kept inside the warm castle, chattering excitedly about the upcoming festivities.

Remus didn't feel like chatting, nor did he feel like going inside to sit with Sirius, who, having been persuaded to at least delay the drinking until the evening, was pacing in the apartment with a murderous look on his face, something that Remus found highly unhelpful in trying to mark homework. Not that he would have gotten much work done today, anyway.

Not on Halloween, when the past was more alive than ever, ripping open old wounds as if no time had passed at all.

He had considered apparating to Godric's Hollow to visit the graves, as he had done in the previous years, but back then he hadn't had a school to return to, and students who might not be pleased with seeing their Defence teacher walk through the hallways crying.

So instead he had opted for a walk around the lake, turning up his collar against the wind and hoping the wild gusts would take the dark memories with them. It didn't really work. All it did was bring up different memories.

The one time James had insisted that he could totally fly over the castle during a storm, and had ended up smashing into the north tower, reducing his Comet to wood chippings and breaking both his legs. Gryffindor had almost lost the next game because their Captain was riding a crappy old school broom, before Mr Potter finally relented and bought his son a new one.

Or that time when Lily had introduced them to kite flying after they had seen a muggle boy do it, and James and Sirius charmed teeth onto theirs to try and rip the other one's apart... Lily had won that battle when she made hers breathe fire, making Sirius joke that they should ditch Peter and make her the fourth Marauder.

Peter...

It was odd. For thirteen years he had mourned for his old friend, berating himself again and again for not being there, for not finding him before he could get to Sirius – because of course Peter wouldn't stand a chance against Sirius in a duel, Sirius who at the age of sixteen could have beaten most Aurors... Condemning himself for not being able to save Wormtail, the smallest, weakest of them, who really only had been in this war because he didn't want to let his friends down...

Now Remus knew that it had been Sirius who he had let down. And it was easier, so much easier – because even though he had been blind for thirteen years, now it was crystal clear. Of course it wasn't Sirius who had betrayed James. James had been everything to him, from the moment they had stepped on the Hogwarts express. Sirius could just as much hurt James as he could cut off his own head. At least with Peter, Remus could understand.

Always the weakest, always picked on, forever in the background when James and Sirius dazzled the school with their brilliance. In many ways, Remus could see parallels to how Ron was behaving now. Not that he'd ever think the Weasley boy a murderer – no, quite how far Peter had gone over was still a bit of a shock – but his must have been a sentiment that Peter had shared.

With the difference that Peter had never spoken up, no matter how many insults Sirius flung at him – and there had been many, more than Remus felt comfortable remembering – always bottling up. For how long had been planning to betray them? When had admiration turned into resentment?

He wondered where Peter was now. Was he still feeling that anger? Hate, perhaps even? Or was he simply scared of Sirius and Remus finding him, hiding as far in the shadows as he possibly could. Hiding had always been one of his strong sides...

Having completed his tour around the lake Remus went back up to the castle, taking a detour through the greenhouses. It was less windy here, sheltered between the low buildings, and he deliberately took his time, not wanting to return to Sirius just yet.

It was on the nettle patch that he realized he wasn't the only one braving the storm after all. There, hunched over something on the ground, was Jarek Bosko, a brown overcloak loosely covering his school uniform and the ends of his scarf trailing in the mud. The boy had his back to Remus and hadn't noticed him yet. Remus hesitated.

Despite his efforts to be as friendly as possible, Jarek Bosko had stayed closed up and silent in his lessons. He sat in the first row, and he appeared to be paying attention well enough – more so than others, actually, for he never talked to his classmates – and handing in his homework fully and on time, but never spoke unless specifically asked to. From talking to the other teachers, Remus had gathered that it was the same in all of his classes – he did what was asked, seemed to be talented enough, but kept to himself, isolating himself from students and teachers alike.

Remus didn't really know what to do with that. He had told Val he'd keep an eye on him, and he did write to her from time to time, telling her that Jarek was doing well in all his lessons. But was he happy?

Remus had no idea.

Slowly he approached the boy, the howling wind covering the sound of his footsteps. When he got closer he saw what Jarek was so fascinated by – a potato-like creature that was digging through the soft earth a few feet away from him.

Jarek didn't hear Remus, but the gnome did, looking up from where he was tugging fruitlessly at a worm and fixing the newcomer with a curious stare. When the gnome's head suddenly turned into his direction, Jarek instinctively scrambled away from him, stumbling over his loose scarf as he tried to get to his feet. Righting himself up, he finally saw Remus, and a shocked expression of embarrassment and guilt crept onto his face.

Remus realized that with his windswept hair and thick, worn out cloak he was probably a rather frightening sight, and tried to soften it with a warm smile.

"Good afternoon, Jarek. Admiring the gnomes?"

The boy recovered from his shock, and immediately went back to his usual closed-off stance. "Just...looking." His eyes wandered back to the gnome, warily following the creature's movement as it decided to give up on the worm and dig up some nettle plants instead.

Remus remembered that in Europe, gnomes were taken much more seriously because they often carried rabies. "Your mother probably told you to stay away from gnomes, didn't she? But the one's we have in England are much more harmless than yours."

He moved quickly, grabbing the gnome at the neck before he could escape, and held him up for the boy's inspection. Jarek flinched back at first, but there was a certain curiosity in his eyes now.

"You see their teeth?" Remus asked, pointing at the gnome's face, from which a string of unidentifiable insults was now flying. "They're much shorter; it barely hurts when they bite you. And they don't carry diseases." He held the gnome out to Jarek. "You can hold him if you want to."

The boy hesitated, eying the creature suspiciously, but finally nodded, and took it from Remus. The gnome, sending his chance to escape, wriggled harder and slipped from Jarek's grip, but the boy quickly caught him, holding him up by one leg. Hanging upside down did not improve the gnome's mood, but Jarek ignored his screams of protest and studied him closely.

"Fat," he said. "Ours much thinner."

Remus nodded. "I think some of the students feed them with sweets. Professor Sprout doesn't like that at all, of course. Gnomes wreak havoc on flowerbeds." He indicated the nettle patch which was indeed covered in tiny mounds of earth, the plants ripped out in many places. "She throws them out every other week, but what gnome would stay away at the prospect of a Bertie Bott's bean?"

Jarek frowned, looking up from his inspection. "Why not use...Jarv?"

"Jarvey," Remus supplied, before shaking his head. "We don't really set Jarveys on gnomes anymore; it' seems rather violent considering they don't do that much harm. Normally, it's enough if you just-" He indicated a swinging movement with his arm – "Fling them around a bit so they get disorientated and then throw them away as far as you can. They're not generally clever enough to find their way back – unless baited with sweets, that is."

Jarek stared at him disbelievingly for a moment, as if trying to decide whether his professor was making fun of him. When it appeared that Remus was in fact being serious, he looked back at the gnome in his hand.

"Can I- can I try?"

For the first time since Remus had met him, the guarded wariness had almost vanished from his face, being replaced with curious excitement.

Remus nodded. "Sure, go ahead. Professor Sprout will be thankful." He stepped aside so Jarek had room, and watched as the gnome, still shouting and cursing, was whirled around and hurled over a greenhouse, disappearing behind it.

"Well done! I don't think that one's coming back any time soon." For a second, he saw a proud grin flicker across Jarek's face, even though he hastily replaced it with his usual stoic expression, leaving only his eyes to betray his enthusiasm.

"Look! More!"

Remus followed his gaze and saw that the screaming of the gnome had indeed brought more of his comrades to the surface, poking their heads out of their holes to see what the commotion was all about. "They're not very clever," he repeated, "And stupidly curious. It makes rounding them all up rather easy, in fact."

Jarek threw him a short look, then crouched down next to one gnome, watching him curiously as the tiny creature was picking its nose. Remus in turn watched the boy, wondering if he had finally made progress, or if Jarek would simply return to his shell the next day. Maybe if he was interested in creatures, Remus could send him over to Hagrid to show him a few of the more harmless ones. Although considering Harry's tales of Hagrid's lessons, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. It would be horridly difficult to explain to Val that her son had been eaten by a Blast-Ended Screwt.

The wind carried a ghostly cry across the lake, tearing him away from his contemplations, and when Remus turned his head he saw a dark shadow flying across the forest, less than three feet above the tree tops. Moments later, a second one followed, then a third and a fourth, smaller this time. Remus felt a smile creep onto his face.

The Thestrals always liked a good storm, riding it with an effortless graceonly rivalled by seabirds. As usual, Remus found their appearance calming rather than frightening.

So caught up in his observation was he that it took him a moment to realize that Jarek had gotten back to his feet, staring towards the forest as well. Remus blinked, looking back between Jarek and the Thestrals, wondering if there was something else the boy... no, his eyes were definitely following the winged creatures.

"Can you see them?" he asked quietly. Jarek visibly flinched, and Remus guessed that he had been mesmerized by the Thestrals as well. "Do you know what they are?"

Jarek didn't look at him. "Yes," he said, hastily dropping his gaze and fixing his shoes. "They are...Death Bird. Don't know English word."

"Thestrals," Remus supplied. "I thought it was the same in most languages, though. Who told you about them?" Jarek fixated his shoes once more, and Remus could tell that any sign of opening up had disappeared.

"My grandmother. She told stories. She called them Death Birds. Because...because you have to see person die to see them."

"That's right. Hagrid, the game keeper, breeds them. They're completely harmless, though." He wondered who Jarek had seen die, and if he would tell Remus were he to ask. Maybe he could write to Val about it. "Most students can't see them."

Jarek didn't answer, though he did look back up at the Thestrals. There was no fear in his eyes, just neutral curiosity. "My grandmother said they are bad sign. Sign of death. But that's not true, right?"

Remus shook his head. "No. Like I said, they are harmless. Useful, even. They pull the carriages that get students to and from the school – only the first years arrive in boats, like you did."

Jarek seemed to be only half listening, still staring at the Thestrals. "Grandmother also said werewolves are evil," he finally said, voice neutral. "They eat children."

Remus flinched, feeling like he had been punched. Suddenly he was glad Jarek wasn't looking at him to see the agony on his face. It took him a moment to recover enough to answer. "Some kill children," he finally managed, struggling to keep his voice level. "Or bite them to turn them as well. Some werewolves are evil."

Jarek turned to look at him. There was no fear or hate, or even sympathy in his eyes, just a neutral curiosity. "Is that what happened to you? Did werewolf bite you when you were child?"

Slowly, Remus forced himself to nod, wondering what Val would say if she knew what he was talking about with her elven year old son. "Yes. I was bitten when I was four. My father had upset a werewolf, and he bit me to take revenge."

Jarek regarded him for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You're not evil," he finally decided. "Not your fault you were bitten."

Remus smiled at him vaguely, unsure what to make of this sudden declaration. "I don't eat children, no," he said, finally deciding that he should probably return to his role as a teacher. "But I still have to lock myself away during a full moon so I don't hurt anybody. If I didn't, and if I didn't take the potion, I would still hurt you or anybody else during the full moon. If you want to call them evil or not, werewolves can be very dangerous. You must not forget that."

Jarek considered him for a moment, and Remus couldn't help but feel like his words were being discarded. But the boy nodded. "Yes, Sir. I must get back into castle for dinner."

Remus realized that it had indeed gotten rather late, the sun already vanishing behind the trees. He nodded quickly, secretly glad to end the werewolf conversation. "Yes, you shouldn't miss the Halloween feast. It's quite spectacular. Goodnight, Jarek."

As he watched the boy trot away, scarf still trailing on the ground, he couldn't help but wonder if he had made a mistake in promising Val to look after her son. He had absolutely no idea how to get through to him, or if Jarek even needed help at all.

 _Good thing you never got to be a father. You'd be crap at it even if it wasn't for the werewolf thing._


	22. Drunken Ramblings

**I apologize about the last chapter - as several people pointed out, there was a bit of a miscontinuity in it with Remus suddenly appearing in the room. I had it separated in my Word document but since deletes those I have to reinsert them manuall, and in that case I just forgot. So to clear it up, the whole part of Sirius reading the paper and burningthe table was supposed to be a flashback to the morning. Sorry for the confusion!**

 **Bit of a depressing chapter today, I apologize in advance. Also, again some semi-spoilers for Lakeside.**

* * *

 **Drunken Ramblings**

"Hey."

When he got into his rooms, Sirius was already waiting for him at the table, an assortment of bottles and two glasses in front of him.

"Start with wine or skip that part and go straight to Whiskey?" he said in place of a greeting.

Remus shrugged, throwing his cloak onto the sofa and sitting down next to him. "As long as it has alcohol in it, I'll drink it." Sirius grinned humourlessly and poured them both a glass of Firewhiskey.

Having nearly killed himself with alcohol during his darkest days, Remus rarely drank anymore, and if he did he always stopped himself after a glass or two. But on Halloween, when the painful memories were so much closer, he simply didn't care.

They didn't speak as they knocked back their drinks, and Remus wordlessly held out his glass for Sirius to refill. They were on their fourth glass when there was a knock on the door.

"Oh, bugger them," Sirius grunted. "Can't you just act like you're not home?"

Remus ignored him, and wordlessly vanished Sirius' empty glass. "Transform, Padfoot." He walked over to the door, brain only slightly fuzzy and steps still completely sure.

 _Bloody werewolf genes. Takes forever to get pissed._

The fuzziness disappeared completely when he recognized the person in front of him.

"H-Harry?"

Behind him he could hear rapid movement as Sirius transformed back, and (or so hoped Remus) was hastily clearing away the evidence of their alcoholism. The teenager smiled at Remus somewhat shyly, obviously taken aback by the less friendly than usual greeting. "Hello...Can I visit Sirius?"

Remus, still listening to the clatter of bottles with one ear, tried to stall. "Aren't you going to the feast? It starts any minute now."

Harry lowered his gaze. "Didn't feel like going," he muttered. "I thought you weren't here; if I'm disturbing you then I'll go-"

"No!" Remus heard himself say. "No, it's... I'm not going, either. But you're welcome to...join us." He wondered where exactly in their plan to get thoroughly plastered Harry should come in, but the words had already left his mouth.

He stepped back to let Harry pass, relieved when he saw the table empty save for a relatively tame bottle of wine. "Harry" Sirius reappeared from the bedroom door (Remus made a mental note to check under his pillow before lying down tonight) and managed a surprisingly steady smile, only wavering slightly as he made his way over to them before saving himself from falling by quickly sitting down at the table. "Decided to join us tonight? Afraid we won't be a lot fun."

Harry looked confused.

"He doesn't know," Remus said quietly to Sirius, walking past him to fetch two new glasses from the kitchen.

Sirius froze. "Oh."

Sadly, Harry had heard them. "What don't I know?" he asked, sounding alarmed. Remus was suddenly very happy to have an excuse, quickly walking off to leave Sirius to deal with it.

When he came back, Sirius was just releasing Harry from a hug, and there were tears visible in the boy's eyes. But when he turned to Remus, his voice was steady. "Is that why you're not at the feast? Because you don't want to celebrate?"

Remus nodded slowly, wondering if it had been wrong to tell him. As a boy, the Halloween feast had been one of Remus' favourite times at Hogwarts. He doubted that Harry would ever again be able to enjoy it in quite the same way.

"We wanted to remember James and Lily by ourselves," Sirius said, indicating the bottle on the table. Remus, who had spent adolescence with a regularly drunk Sirius, could hear the slight slur in his friend's voice, but he doubted that Harry realized that this was not actually their first bottle.

"Can I join you?"

Remus flinched. His gaze met Sirius', who seemed equally uncertain.

"Only one glass. A small one," Harry begged, looking at them with pleading eyes. Lily's eyes. "I never really said good bye to them. I've never even visited their graves."

Remus felt his throat constrict. "Alright." Sirius said slowly, voice sounding choked as well. "You can have one glass."

Remus nodded. He had visited James and Lily often, but Harry, of course, had never been back to Godric's Hollow since the night his parents died. "We'll take you there next summer. Then you can say good bye properly."

Harry smiled weakly, and the haunted look that Remus had seen in his face over the past week disappeared somewhat, being replaced with sadness instead.

"Have you ever had wine?" Remus asked him while Sirius was trying to get the cork out of the bottle (something that would have normally taken him seconds, as Remus noticed, worrying how much longer it would take Harry to realize his godfather and single most important role model was actually stone drunk).

Harry shook his head, blushing a little. "No."

 _And that's the way it should stay for at least two more years. If Lily knew..._

But Lily didn't know, because Lily was dead.

He handed Harry his glass. "If you don't like it, don't feel obliged to finish it," he warned. "Don't think you have to in order to honour your parents." Harry nodded, suddenly looking very nervous.

"To James and Lily." Sirius raised his glass, and Remus and Harry followed suit.

"Lily and James."

"Mum and Dad."

For a while they were quiet, each sipping their wine (Harry seemed to like his, as Remus observed to his sorrow) and following their own thoughts, tears burning in their eyes. Then, the silence was broken.

" _Of all the money that ere I had_ "

Remus' head rose sharply, at Sirius' voice, his hand tightening around his glass. He closed his eyes. " _Padfoot_." But his friend ignored his silent pleading.

" _I spent it in good company_ "

Sirius had never been a gifted singer, and his voice was raspy from too much alcohol and unshed tears. But the melody still resonated with Remus, made his hands tremble and the hair on his arms stand up. It had been years since he last heard that song, and yet the words came to his mind as if of their own accord, every note as fresh as the last time they had sung it.

It had started as a joke, really. A distant cousin of James' had visited from Scotland over their first summer break, and suddenly he and Sirius had decided that everything Scottish was awesome. And even though they failed miserably at imitating the accent, they enthusiastically sang the songs the cousin taught them. And this one had stuck, even after they had moved on to other things.

The first time they had sung it again was when James' owl had died, killed by the family cat. They had given it a proper burial, complete with eulogy and flowers. And they had sung this song, toasting the lost pet with wine glasses filled with pumpkin juice. It wasn't a proper funeral song, but it had felt right, and they had felt terribly important and grown up.

It had become a tradition. They sung that song when Peter's cat died, when Honeyduke's stopped selling Remus' favorite line of chocolate and when James broke his broomstick. They sung it when Keith Moon died and Sirius decided that humanity might as well stop producing music now because there really wasn't any point to it anymore.

Over the years, the pumpkin juice turned into butterbeer and then Firewhiskey, and the occasions became more solemn. War came, and soon it wasn't pets or toys they were mourning but comrades, friends who had died at their side. They sung it for Emily when she was murdered before even finishing Hogwarts, for the Prewetts, the McKinnons, for Benji Fenwick and and Caradoc Deraborn.

And then suddenly it was themselves who were dying. Remus hadn't sung that song for Lily and James, for Peter. Certainly not for Sirius. It just seemed pointless all of a sudden, when he had no one to sing it with, no one to hear it. He was alone, the only one left, and that song had died with his friends.

Until now.

Sirius was still singing it, his grey gaze burning into Remus', urging him to join him.

" _But since it fell into my lot_

 _That I should rise and you should not_ "

Remus looked up. He _wasn't_ alone anymore. And although Lily and James were gone, although no reminiscing in the world could bring back the Marauders, some part of them _had_ survived. They had their map, their stories, their memories. And their traditions, however silly. Finally, he opened his mouth, surprised his voice carried at all.

" _I'll gently rise and softly call_

 _Goodnight and joy be to you all!_ "

He was aware of Harry staring at them, mouth open, and although this should have felt terribly embarrassing, him being the boy's _teacher_ for Merlin's sake, somehow it didn't.

" _So fill to me the parting glass_

 _And drink a health whate'er befalls_

 _Then gently rise and softly call_

 _Goodnight and joy be to you all!_ "

Sirius rose his glass when they finished, and Remus' arm followed almost of his own accord, clinking their glasses together. Harry joined them hastily, still a look of confusion on his face. But he didn't ask, and for a moment they were silent, each following their own thoughts.

"Did you sing it? At the funeral?" Sirius finally spoke up.

Gaze still fixed on the swirling liquid in his glass, Remus shook his head. "I was the only one there who knew about it. Didn't exactly fancy a solo performance. Did you?"

Sirius snorted. "In Azkaban? What, with a lovely background choir of dementors?" Almost as soon as it had risen, his amusement died down. "No.", he said quietly. "I visited their graves after I escaped, but…well, I was a dog, anyway. Howled a little, if that counts."

"Well, seeing as I did the drinking, between us we had it covered." Remus quipped, not caring that Harry wasn't really of an age to be confronted with alcoholism. He probably had other things on his mind tonight anyway.

Sirius gave a barking laugh, before falling silent again. "I thought I could finally kill him," he said after a while. "Last year. There was the feast, and everybody was downstairs so nobody could get into my way…but it also seemed like the right night in itself. To get revenge, on the day that he betrayed them..." He snorted, face distorting into a hateful grimace. "Didn't really work out, did it?"

"Harry got you back," Remus pointed out. "James and Lily wanted you to be there for him, and now you are. Looks like a more useful bit of revenge than killing a rat to me."

"It is," Harry said quickly, blushing a little as he spoke for the first time since they had started drinking. "Having you – both of you." His gaze flickered over to Remus, who felt a pleasing warmth rise in him. "I know they're gone, and they're not coming back, but having you, hearing you talk about them...it's like they _are_ still there. At least a bit." Remus felt his throat constrict, and he suddenly had to fight very hard to keep the tears from rolling over his face.

Sirius had no such constricts. He got to his feet, swaying dangerously, stumbled over to Harry and threw his arms around him rather more uncoordinatedly than he had done earlier. "You're the one that's keeping them here, Harry. You...You're so much...James..." His voice drifted off, and then he started snoring softly, arms still wrapped around Harry, hanging over the back of his chair.

Remus winced. _Exactly what I wanted to prevent..._ "I am sorry, Harry," he said, slowly rising from his chair as Harry's expression changed from teary to alarmed.

"Is he alright?"

Remus snorted. "Not when I'm done with him in the morning," he muttered darkly, before sighing. "He's perfectly fine. He's just...it's not an easy day for him. Please don't let this ruin your view of him. He should have known better, and usually he does..." _At least when you're concerned..._ He reached the chair, dragging Sirius off Harry and heaving him back on his feet, one arm draped around his shoulders. "I'll get him into bed."

When he came back, Harry hadn't moved, staring at his half empty wine glass in contemplation. "I am sorry," Remus said again, retaking his seat opposite Harry. "I probably should have sent you away when you first knocked."

Harry looked up. "I'm glad you didn't," he said, quietly. "I'd probably just have sat around the dormitory being miserable... And hungry. Can I have a cauldron cake or something?"

Remus nodded, brandishing his wand to summon a platter of cookies for them. Not exactly a balanced dinner, but neither he nor Sirius were winning any points in the parenting department tonight anyway.

"I take it things between you and Ron have not changed for the better, then?" He asked after they had both silently munched on shortcake for a while.

Harry didn't look at him, but shook his head. "No. Hermoine says I should talk to him, but...it's not me that's behaving like an idiot, is it? I didn't _ask_ for this... and he's all...jealous, and...I mean, he can have it, gladly. I don't want to take part in this. I just...I just want things to be normal for once."

He grimaced, and when he finally did look up he looked so lost Remus felt his throat choke up once again. He had forgotten quite how teary alcohol made him.

"It's often easy to overlook other people's struggle and only look at the positive things in their situation," he said slowly. "You see everything that's wrong in your own life, and working so much better in theirs, that you forget they have problems that you don't even think about because you never had to deal with them."

He paused for a while, wondering how he was actually going to make Harry feel better. Coming to the realization that he probably wouldn't, he continued anyway. "I know you'd give anything to get your parents back, that given the choice you'd always choose them, choose the happy family that Ron has. But there _are_ things that you have and he wishes for. You've never had to worry about money. You're famous, you're a brilliant Quidditch player-"

"I've got you," Harry interrupted him, making Remus look up in confusion. "You and Sirius," Harry continued, cheeks reddening again. "That's what Hermoine said – well, she actually said a bunch of stuff, about money and fame and such, but also that getting to live with you was sort of the last straw for Ron. Because now I have a great home as well, and now my life's better than his in every aspect."

Remus simply stared at him flabbergasted. "I-You-"

"I told her it's not the same," Harry said quietly, looking him in the eyes. Looking so much like Lily. "That having a home to live in with people who care for you isn't the same as having a family. Because you and Sirius are great, and I'm so happy you took me in, but you're not Mum and Dad."

Remus frowned. "We never-" But Harry wasn't done.

"But I think I was wrong. You're not Mum and Dad, and you can't replace them...but you _are_ my family."

They were silent for a while. Remus still felt tears burning in his eyes. He was pretty certain it was simply the alcohol that was making Harry talk like this – and himself react in this way – but he smiled nonetheless. "You should tell Sirius that. When he...when he's up. I think he needs to hear it."

"I did," Harry said. "Yesterday. He said I should tell you, because you needed to hear it."

Again, Remus was silent for a while. "Oh," he finally made, suddenly at a loss of what to say. "I- You're my family, too, Harry. I know I'm your teacher, and not...well, Sirius, but I-"

"You're my uncle," Harry said much more firmly than Remus had expected. Apparently alcohol was boosting his confidence a lot more than it did Remus'. "That's what Sirius said, didn't he? And I think it's true. You two were Dad's best friends, and if they...if they hadn't died, I'd have grown up with you as my uncles, not Vernon."

Remus had a feeling that if Harry kept talking he might very well see his teacher cry, which probably wasn't any teenager's wish. So he merely nodded, smiling at Harry in what he hoped was gratitude, and said: "That sounds fine to me, just...just don't call me uncle in class."

Harry laughed, slightly more hysterical than was fitting for Remus' rather weak joke, and he noticed just how red the teenager's cheeks had turned. He made an effort to rise to his feet again, ignoring the protest of his tired body. "I think it's time for bed, Harry. Do you want me to go with you to the Common room?" Harry had, after all drunken a whole glass of red wine, and there were a lot of stairs between here and the Gryffindor tower.

Harry shook his head, standing up as well and taking an experimental step. Minimal swaying. "I think I can manage." He looked up at Remus, expression softening again. "Thank...thank you for letting me stay."

Remus smiled. "That's quite alright. I'm sorry we were such poor company."

Harry's gaze darkened. "Better than Ron and the others," he muttered, before throwing a hesitant look over Remus' shoulder towards the bedroom. "Can I...can I come by tomorrow after breakfast?"

Remus hesitated. He had meant to talk to Harry about his frequent stays, about how he should spend time with his friends more, but somehow tonight had not seem like the best opportunity. "Maybe...maybe give Sirius a little more time to recover," he told him with a forced smile.

Harry's face fell a little, but he returned the smile nevertheless. "Okay. Good night, Remus."

"Night, Harry."

He closed the door behind the boy and stared at it for a while, before walking over to his drawer and pulling out the Marauder's Map (he had asked Harry to borrow it at the beginning of the year, feeling that it would be better to keep it in safe hands now that Sirius was here. The idea that someone might see Harry use it and spot a convicted mass murderer in the werewolf's office was nightmarish.) He watched Harry's dot until it had safely reached the boy's dormitory, then folded the map together again and put it back.

Slowly he walked over to the table. Seeing the wine bottle empty he wandered into his bedroom, ignoring the noisy snores that came from the side door behind which Sirius' makeshift bedroom was hidden, and rummaged around his covers until he found the alcohol Sirius had hidden there when Harry arrived. Clutching a bottle of Scotch he went back to the table, conjuring himself a glass and filling it to the brim.

Time to see just how much the werewolf could take before he'd pass out.

* * *

 **Not sure how I feel about this chapter; it was one of the first once I wrote for this story. The song is a traditional song called Parting Glass and I quite like it (and I liked the idea of the Marauders singing it together), but I am aware that songs never come across very well in a story if you don't actually know/hear it, so...well. I promise not to make a habit of it.  
**

 **Anyway. The next chapter will be more light-hearted and we'll finally see Tonks again :)**


	23. Birthday Games

**After last week's somber one, here's a short and funny chapter before we'll get some more plot development next week :)**

* * *

 **Birthday Games**

„Would you rather…"

Remus groaned into his glass. "Neither"

"You didn't even let me finish!" Sirius protested from where he was stretched out on the sofa, looking at him with a look that was probably supposed to be reproachful but due to some alcohol-induced difficulty with muscle coordination made him look rather like a confused puppy. "And that's against the rules anyway. Spill, Moony."

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering if he should try and escape to his bed. Not that he'd be able to sleep anyway, with Sirius' favourite Who album blaring at them from the ancient record player at a volume that could probably be heard in the Gryffindor tower.

"You didn't even ask me anything. And I'm not playing."

"Yes you are," Sirius pointed at him with his bottle of Firewhisky, sloshing some of it on the carpet. "My birthday, my rules."

It had been barely two hours since Harry had left, and yet the alcohol level had risen faster than the tempers at a Hogwarts Quidditch game. Remus partly blamed Tonks for that, as she had brought along most of the whiskey. She had heard from Sirius how hard it was to get a werewolf drunk, and apparently taken it as a personal challenge. He also blamed himself for not realizing where this was heading quickly enough to schedule himself a patrol duty. Mostly, though, he blamed Sirius.

"Alright, whatever," he muttered, deciding that withdrawing into his bedroom was futile – Sirius would simply follow him. "What's the question?"

A broad grin appeared on his friend's face. "Would you rather snog Snivellus or Umbridge?" Remus groaned again. This game had been hard to endure during his youth, and apparently James' absence had not made Sirius any more tasteful.

"Neither," he repeated firmly.

"You have to choose!" Sirius said, pointing at the golden paper crown on his head that Tonks had conjured for him.

Remus sighed, taking a deep swig of his own whiskey. At this point, a drunken blackout was probably the best he could hope for. "I dunno," he said. "Snape? He'd kill me and I wouldn't have to suffer through any more of these questions."

"I'd go for Umbridge," Tonks piped up from her place in front of the fire where she was leaning against the sofa. She'd been rather quiet for the past twenty minutes, and Remus had half assumed she was asleep.

"Really?" Sirius said, raising an eyebrow. "That's disgusting."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "So's Snape," she pointed out, before turning back to Remus with a mischievous grin. "If a werewolf kissed her, though, there's a chance she might actually die of fear. You'd do the world a favour."

Sirius was silent for a while, before bursting out laughing. "Yeah, Moony!" he cackled, saluting with his bottle, "Take one for the team!"

Remus rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but grin a little. Maybe the alcohol finally did its work.

"Your turn, Moony."

Remus, deciding that he might as well stoop to their level, smirked. "Alright... Would you rather blow up Lancelot or wear _Potter Stinks_ for a month?"

Sirius nearly dropped his bottle, staring at Remus with his mouth wide open. "That's not fair!" he howled, aghast.

Tonks frowned. "Who's Lancelot?"

Remus grinned smugly at a frantic Sirius. "His motorbike," he said simply.

"I'd wear the bloody badge," Sirius finally said through gritted teeth, throwing Remus a murderous look.

Tonks laughed. "What? You'd betray Harry for a bunch of metal?"

"It's not a bunch of metal, it's my child!" Sirius protested. "I made him with my own hands, my own sweat and blood-"

" – lots of blood, actually, he crashed about a million times-" Remus supplied quietly,

" – and it's not like anyone would see me wear that badge, anyway."

"I'd pin it to your dog collar," Remus amended. Sirius hesitated, visibly torn. He always took these kind of games far too seriously, and on occasions like this Remus was glad for it, as it made for wonderful winding up.

"I'd still take that," Sirius said, looking very pale. "I mean, Harry _knows_ I don't support Diggory..."

Tonks snorted, rolling her eyes. "Jeez...Alright, my turn." She considered it for a while, then asked: "Would you rather go blind or deaf and dumb?" (They had been listening to _Tommy_ earlier.)

"Deaf and Dumb" Remus said at the same time as Sirius said "Blind".

"Come on!" the animagus exclaimed. "No hearing _and_ no talking?"

"No listening to you, no answering your ridiculous questions," Remus pointed out, leaning back into his armchair with a sardonic smile. "Frankly, I'd do it voluntarily if it didn't cost me my job..."

Sirius made a rude gesture. "Be nice, it's my birthday. That was a boring one, Tonks." He drained his bottle, tossing it in one corner and then grinned as the music changed.

"Hey, it's your song, Moony!"

Remus paused for a moment and sighed when he recognized the guitar intro. "Not again."

Sure enough, Sirius started singing – if one could call it that in his inebriated state – along with the first lines, changing them as he went along.

" _Noone knows what it's like_

 _To be the bad wolf_

 _To be the sad wolf_

 _Behind Blue eyes_ "

Catching Tonks confused look, Remus muttered over the croaking voice: "He started it at school, claiming the song was about a lonely teenage werewolf – came pretty close to telling the whole Gryffindor common room what I was a couple of times."

" _Noone know what it's like_

 _To be hated_

 _To be fated_

 _To telling only lies_ "

Tonks started laughing hysterically, almost falling over. "It _does_ fit!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, her eyes rapidly switching between Remus and Sirius. "I bet you were super angsty as a teenager."

Sirius stopped his attempt at singing and smirked. "He's super angsty _now_. But yeah, tragic hero type if ever there was one – I'm pretty sure Moaning Myrtle's still swooning over him."

"She's not, she's into Harry know," Remus pointed out, but Sirius' smirking continued.

"Yeah? When was the last time you dared enter her corridor? 1972?" He laughed at Remus' sullen silence, and continued singing.

" _No one bites back as hard  
On their anger  
None of my pain and woe  
Can show through_"

Remus rolled his eyes and left him to it. "Sorry about that," he told Tonks smiling apologetically. "If it's any condolence, the singing usually starts shortly before he passes out, so there should be quiet soon."

Tonks giggled, obviously also not quite sober anymore, and he smiled back at her. For a while they simply sat in silence, listening to the rather uneven duet of Roger Daltry and Sirius Black, smiling at each other in what the sober part of Remus' brain supposed was a rather sheepish manner. He knew it was odd, staring like this, and he should feel terribly awkward, but the girl in front of him was rather pretty with her flushed cheeks and bright pink hair, and subsequently the order to turn his head or at least say something was ignored by the rest of his body.

The moment was brutally cut short when the song ended and Sirius brandished his wand to summon himself another bottle of whiskey. Instead of moving it burst into a thousand pieces, scattering glass and whiskey everywhere, and startling Remus so much he dropped his own glass.

"Merlin's balls, Padfoot!" he cursed, jumping to his feet while trying to dislodge his own wand from where it was stuck in his pocket. "No magic when drunk, how often do I have to tell you!"

Sirius merely laughed hoarsely. "You only ever tell me when I'm drunk, no wonder I don't remember it. Now shut up, this one's really good."

Remus, who had dealt with a drunken Sirius often enough to know that he was well past reasoning in this state, didn't reply, instead trying to get the shards of glass off his carpet while his friend started singing again, this time with added air guitar. Tonks was still silent, watching them with a look that was either thoughtful or not seeing at all; Remus wasn't sure.

Finally, there was a slump, as the pillow Sirius had been using as his guitar fell to the ground, and seconds later a soft snoring could be heard from the couch. Remus got up to stop the record player by hand – in his state he didn't trust himself with magic, and Sirius would quite literally kill him if he damaged either the player or the record. When he sat back down, he found Tonks staring at a large black dog lying on the couch. He winced.

 _Dammit. I had forgotten about that._

He sat down again, feeling a lot more sober than before. Tonks turned to him, worry and confusion on her face. "Is he...is he alright? Do Animagi do that?"

Remus hesitated a moment, before slowly shaking his head. "Not usually, as far as I know. Although James swore he once caught Professor McGonagall having a nap on the window still..." A smile flickered over his face, but he felt no amusement. He sighed. "It's because of Azkaban," he finally said quietly, switching his gaze from his sleeping friend to her. "It's how he kept his mind, transforming when it got too bad...but of course twelve years in Azkaban don't just go away, dog or not." He smiled sadly, looking over to Sirius again. He was pretty sure the Animagus wouldn't want him to tell Tonks any of this, but somehow it felt right to share it with her. It wasn't like he could talk about it with anybody else.

"He transforms in his sleep. He doesn't do it consciously – I'm not sure he even knows he does it – but he does. And there are nightmares – he doesn't tell me what they are, but I hear the screams. That's why he drinks," he pointed towards the forgotten bottles next to Tonks. "It helps with the dreams. Not with much else, though." His gaze wandered back towards the ruined carpet still sprinkled with glass shards. He knew Sirius would despise himself for that in the morning.

 _If he gets to see it. Which he won't._

Tonks had been quiet for so long that he had almost forgotten she was in the room, and jumped a little in his seat when she finally spoke. "Is that why you let him treat you the way he does?" she asked quietly, turning her own empty glass in her hand.

Remus looked at her, confused. "Like what?"

She snorted. "He bosses you around all the time. Makes you clean up after him, insults you..."

"Oh," Remus chuckled. "It has always been like that, to be honest. At school I was far too afraid to lose the only friends I had to ever say anything, and now..." His gaze wandered back to the dog that was now drooling on his couch. "I don't mind" he finally said. "He knows his limits."

 _And I owe him that much for letting him rot in prison all those years._

Tonks smiled. "You're a good friend, Remus," she said, her voice oddly quiet now. She was watching her glass again, but occasionally her dark eyes would flicker up to him. He didn't know how to reply.

"Don't tell Harry," he finally said instead. "He doesn't know, and...well, he has enough worries. He'd only find a way to blame himself for it."

Tonks laughed humourlessly. "Like you do?" Remus eyes shot up, and he opened his mouth to say something but she had already moved on, standing slowly. "I should go, it's getting late."

Remus hastily followed, his mind sluggish from the alcohol. "Yes, of course- sorry about all that, I didn't mean to ruin your mood."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Not your fault, Remus." She grabbed her cloak from where she had thrown it across the sofa, and, after some hesitation, petted the dog behind his ears, earning herself a sleepy but happy whine, and then turned to Remus.

For a moment he thought she was going to say something, but at the last moment she seemed to change her mind, and merely smiled. "Good night, Remus."

He forced himself to return it. "Good night, Nymphadora."

"Don't call me that!" she called, already half out of the door. Remus chuckled as he closed it behind her, turning around to survey what was left of his living room.

And yet try as he might, he couldn't concentrate at all on vanishing empty bottles, cleaning alcohol or moving the dog to his bed. All he saw was Tonks, leaning against his sofa and beaming up at him with her halo of pink hair, her bright eyes and her wonderful smile.

 _Damn alcohol._

But of course he knew it wasn't the alcohol. The images would still be there in the morning, just as they had been creeping into his mind long before the booze had. Because try as he might, there wasn't any denying it any longer:

He had an enormous, utterly hopeless crush on Nymphadora Tonks.

"Well, fuck," he muttered to himself, slowly sinking back into his chair and grabbing a half empty bottle of whiskey.

 _Looks like Padfoot will get a permanent drinking buddy. I should ask Dumbledore for a pay rise; there's no way I can afford all that booze._

Because if he was to somehow get over this Tonks business, he would need a hell of a lot of alcohol.


	24. There Be Dragons

**I apologize for the long delay, but here's an extra long chapter (and some plot development on the tournament, as some people were wishing for) to make up for it :)**

 **CaseLC: Sorry about that. Yes, this was on November 3rd (according to Pottermore, this is Sirius' birthday), so three days after the last chapter.**

 **VlightPhase: Oops! Thanks for noticing, that mispelling was not on purpose... Deep down Remus has probably known he has feelings for Tonks for quite a while now, he's just been very forcefully denying them.**

 **RandomFlyer: Alcohol can indeed be pretty destructive, and Remus at least knows that very well - he's lost his father to it, after all, and very nearly himself - so he's generally not in danger of developing a full blown addiction. Sirius, however... In OotP it seemed pretty clear to me that he had a drinking problem, and while things are much better for him in this AU, lots of his reasons for drinking haven't changed. But he's got Remus, Harry and Tonks to take care of them, so hopefully they can help.**

* * *

 **Here be dragons**

Tonks silently cursed herself as she was half walking, half running through the empty streets of Hogsmeade. This morning it had seemed like a brilliant plan to wait with her shopping until evening, when the village wouldn't be swarming with Hogwarts students anymore. Now, with icy rain drenching her hair and clothes, and night falling so she could barely see where she was going, stumbling more than once on the uneven cobblestone, she wondered if maybe she should have just listened to the weather forecast, as whoever was planning the Hogsmeade excursions at Hogwarts clearly had.

But she was out of ink, and after four days Remus would surely start noticing that she had been stealing some of his whenever she was over...She decided to drop by Honeydukes on the way back to get him some chocolate as compensation. Or maybe for medical purposes, given that the full moon was tomorrow. Remus had looked terribly pale when she had seen him a breakfast this morning, and hadn't even shown up for lunch or dinner. _Maybe a lot of chocolate._

But she had barely decided on what to get him, when a surprisingly familiar figure appeared behind a shelf. Tonks eyes widened.

"Charlie?"

The redhead turned around, and his face split into a wide grin. "Tonks! I was wondering if I'd run into you some time..." He walked over and hugged her. "Great to see you! How's guarding the school going? Foiled any evil plots yet?"

Tonks laughed, and shoved him playfully. "Git! I'm providing vital representative reassurance. It's super important, at least according to Fudge... What are you doing up here, anyway? Retaking your OWLs?"

Charlie shoved her back. "I'm working, thank you very much. A _proper_ job, unlike some of us..." Tonks hit him with a chocolate bar, before walking over to the till to pay for it. "Fancy a drink?" Charlie asked, trailing after her. "If Hogwarts can bear your absence any longer without falling to Dark Wizards, that is."

Tonks poked his tongue out at him but nodded nonetheless. Seeing Sirius and Remus was out of the question anyway given he was so ill, and all that was waiting in her own room was a stack of unfinished reports. They once more braced the pelting rain, which seemed to have turned into sleet in the meantime, and jogged over to the Three Broomsticks, which was warm and crowded and a welcome contrast to the wintery weather outside.

"So you actually made it," Charlie said when he returned from the bar with two mugs of Butterbeer. "Auror Tonks...frightening prospect." He grinned at her mischievously, until Tonks kicked him in the shin.

"Watch it, lizard boy. I'm authorized to stun you."

Charlie crooked his head and seemed on the brink of saying something, before changing his mind. "It's great," he said instead, smiling sincerely. "You being an Auror...that's really impressive."

Tonks felt herself blush slightly. Sincere conversations weren't really a thing that she did with Charlie Weasley. "You too," she finally said. "Taming dragons... Actually, what _are_ you working here? Last I checked Scotland didn't have any."

Charlie hesitated, and for a moment he regarded her cautiously. Then he leaned in, lowering his voice. "Triwizard Tournament," he said, brown eyes twinkling with excitement. "They asked us to supply some...obstacles for the first task."

Tonks eyes widened. "The first... They're having them fight _dragons_?" She didn't even try to imagine Sirius' reaction to this.

Charlie quickly shook his head, obviously surprised by her horrified expression. "Not fight them! With the beasts we got, not even _we_ can hold them down for long, and putting students up against them..." He laughed. "No, I think they just have to get past them or something. They will be chained, obviously, so it should be safe..."

"That's still mental!" Tonks exploded, hastily ducking her head when several surprised looks were cast her way. "I mean...Merlin's balls... _dragons._.."

Charlie smiled in what was probably supposed to be a reassuring way. "Don't worry. We'll be standing by at all times, ready to step in any time. The kids will be safe."

Tonks managed to nod slowly, forcing herself to act more normal again. Charlie obviously didn't know she was close to Harry, or he'd never have told her – after all, the dragons were obviously supposed to be a surprise for the Champions. To keep him out of trouble, she should keep it that way.

"So you're staying until Tuesday, then?" she asked. "Or will you stick around for the rest of the tournament?"

Charlie shook his head, taking a sip from his Butterbeer. "Nah, no dragons in the other tasks as far as I know. I'll be going back as soon as we've cleared up after the task. It's mating season; they need every hand at the sanctuary."

"Mating season?" Tonks nearly choked on her Butterbeer at the mental image that presented itself. "Do I even want to ask?"

He laughed. "No."

It was nice chatting with Charlie. She hadn't seen him in years, yet it felt like barely any time at all had passed since they had been flying around the Quidditch pitch together, enjoying the last days of their Hogwarts time. Charlie had barely changed. He was still as cheerful and boyish as he had been then, and only the burns on his arms and the sun tanned skin showed that he wasn't a student in rainy Scotland anymore.

It was only when Madam Rosmerta was coming over with a rag, pointedly cleaning the table next to them, that Tonks realized midnight had long passed and they were the last people in the Pub. She mentally cursed herself. So much for going over to Remus and Sirius and telling them about the dragons tonight.

"I should get back," she said, draining her mug. "I know I'm allowed to stay up as long as I want, but Mrs Norris still creeps me out. Last week I nearly fell off the stairs when she jumped out behind some statue. I swear, that beast hates me."

Charlie grinned. "Well, you _did_ step on her tail that one time."

Tonks groaned at the memory. It had been the longest detention she had ever served, and if Professor McGonagall hadn't come by she was almost sure Filch would have made his wish come true and dug up his old shackles.

"Do you have any plans for Tuesday?" Charlie asked as he was gathering up his cloak. "Me and the others were gonna have a few drinks after we're done; you'd be welcome to join. I suspect the castle's not that interesting, with all the Professor's being ancient, and, well – _professors_."

"They're not _all_ ancient," Tonks protested, thinking of Remus. Then again, she hadn't seen Charlie in years and probably wouldn't again for a very long time. She nodded. "But sure, I'll pop round."

* * *

Tonks managed to avoid cats or tumbles down stairs when she made her way back to her room - by now she had no problems finding it, not even in the dark, which made her more proud than it probably should – but her late night took its revenge in the form oversleeping on the next morning.

By the time she finally ventured down into the Great Hall for breakfast it was almost empty. Remus wasn't there either; she wondered if he had even bothered to come down. Guessing that he probably hadn't, she gathered up some toast in a handkerchief and made her way back up to the second floor, deciding to see if she could tempt him with some breakfast. But when she knocked on the door there was no answer. _Surely he can't be wandering around the school?_

Before she could knock again, there was a voice behind her. "Professor Lupin is not in the castle, I'm afraid. Can I help you?"

She whirled around and saw Professor Vektor, staring at her with a thinly disguised frown. Tonks stiffened. She always felt like the Arithmancy professor disapproved of her, and she could never help but feel like a student again under her stern glance.

"He's... gone?" She asked, confused. "Where?"

The look got even sterner. "That's hardly any of our business, is it? You are aware of the lunar cycle, I take it?"

Tonks felt embarrassment rising in her, quickly followed by irritation. Of course she knew it was the full moon tonight, and that Remus was leaving the castle, but she just hadn't thought he'd be gone this early. No need to treat her like some slow-witted first year.

"I am, thank you," She managed through gritted teeth and turned around to leave, but Professor Vektor stopped her.

"I can pass on whatever you wanted to tell him, I'm sure I'll see him first thing tomorrow morning."

Tonks stopped in her tracks. The irritation she had been feeling had turned into blazing anger. "Thanks," she said coolly, smiling falsely. "But I'll tell Remus myself." She knew people weren't supposed to know that she and Remus had actually met before the school year started, but seeing the other woman flinch at his first name, and the fact that Tonks was allowed to call him that, was worth every repercussion it might possibly have.

 _That'll teach her._

But as she was walking away she felt her smugness give way to embarrassment. Great, now she was actually acting like some jealous bitchy teenager. Over Remus, who was in love with someone else completely anyway.

 _So much for being grown up and mature._

Pushing those uncomfortable thoughts aside, she wondered what to do about the dragon situation. Remus wouldn't return until the next morning, and Sirius had probably gone with him. She supposed she should tell Harry about what waited for him, even though she couldn't think of any way to make "Hey, you'll be up against a dragon on Tuesday; have fun" sound reassuring.

As it turned out, she didn't get a chance to talk to Harry all day. She spotted Hermoine in the library, but upon seeing that she had her S.P.E.W. things out made a hasty retreat – one afternoon of being talked to about house elf rights was enough for a life time, thank you very much. She saw Harry at lunch, but thought that it would look a bit suspicious if she walked up to him in front of everybody. She had planned to intercept him when he left, but either he had gotten extremely good at vanishing into crowds, or her tracking skills were even more abysmal than previously thought, for she lost sight of him almost as soon as she left the Great Hall. When dinner approached, she was desperate, and almost wished she had spoken to Hermoine earlier – an hour of awkward boredom would still be better than running aimlessly through the castle all day.

She was about to give up the secrecy and just approach Harry at dinner when she caught sight of another figure crossing the entrance hall, and remembered something Charlie had mentioned.

" _I'm showing them to Hagrid tomorrow night; he practically begged me to once he got wind of it. If you like, you can come, too. We got a_ Horntail _!"_

Neither knowing who or what a Horntail was nor caring much for being spat fire at, Tonks had declined. But as she was watching Hagrid now, and idea formed in her mind, and she quickly scurried down the last steps, intercepting him just before he entered the Great Hall.

"Hi, Hagrid!"

He turned around and smiled. "'lo Tonks! How yer doing?"

"Great!" She fell into step beside him, talking quickly so she could get it over with before they reached the staff table with its prying ears. "I ran into Charlie yesterday. Told me he was giving you a dragon tour later"

Hagrid's eyes began to shine in a look that other people reserved for their spouses or children. "Great, isn't it! It's been years I saw one up close – 'cept for Norbert, of course…" A wistful look came into his eyes.

Tonks opened her mouth to ask who Norbert was, but then decided she probably didn't want to know. And was running out of time. "Do you think…do you think maybe you could take Harry?" She asked, as the table was looming up in front of them. "Cos you know, he's the youngest and everything."

Hagrid, whose attention seemed to have snapped away from her and towards the headmistress of Beauxbaton, who was sitting next to Dumbledore, frowned for a moment, then nodded absentmindedly. "S'ppose I could, yeah. Wouldn't want him hurt." He shuffled away towards Madame Maxime, leaving Tonks to take a seat at the edge of the table, sighing with relief.

Now Harry would be warned. The only question was, what could they do about it?

* * *

"Fucking _dragons!?_ "

Remus groaned at Sirius' outcry, not sure if due his raging headache or the news that Harry would actually have to face a dragon. A bloody _dragon_ …

Sirius' ranting blurred into a background of noise as he closed his eyes, sinking back into the armchair and wishing he hadn't gotten up at all. It was half past eight in the morning; he had transformed back barely two hours ago and his only wish was for a big hole to appear and swallow up all the annoying noises around him. Or just himself; that would probably be easier…

Dimly, he realized that the Sirius-shaped noises had stopped, and he opened his eyes in mild confusion. Had his dream come true? No, Sirius was still there – although now in the form of a large black dog. Wondering if his friend was planning on running over to Dumbledore and forcing him to take Harry out of the tournament, he flinched when there was a knock on the door, rather impatiently.

Ah. That would explain it.

It took him another two moments to realize that he would probably have to get up from his chair – a task that he felt in no way up to right now. Maybe it would go away if the just closed his eyes…

"Remus? It's me."

He flinched again, suddenly a great deal more alert. What was she…?

"Tonks?" Sirius, having transformed back, had opened the door. Vaguely, Remus remembered that he should tell him off for it, but he couldn't quite recall why, and he had done too much thinking already. This really was the most excruciating of headaches.

"Wotcher. Can I come in? I've got – " She stopped, spotting a very pale looking Harry on the sofa. "Oh. You saw them, then?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, how-"

"Charlie told me; I convinced Hagrid to take you 'cos I couldn't really go up to you myself and Remus and Sirius were—" Her gaze wandered to Remus, and she felt silent, eyes widening in shock.

Remus had not bothered to look in the mirror this morning, but experience (and the fact that Harry had actually stopped his dragon tale to ask if he was alright) told him that he was probably not a very pretty sight.

"Remus! Are you alright? You look-"

"Like crap," Sirius finished. "He knows; I told him. Don't mind him though, he's drugged up to the eyeballs on pain potions. I don't think he'll talk before lunch."

Remus frowned. That was hardly fair. "Icandalk," he protested, wondering if his voice had always sounded so blurry.

Tonks did not look reassured. "I can leave if you'd rather have some rest."

"He's not gonna get rest. In case you had forgotten, we have a dragon problem to solve."

In the distant, a bell sounded, and Harry sprang to his feet. "I've got to go! Can I-"

"Come back after lunch," Sirius told him. "We'll try and come up with something until then. Or Tonks and I will, I don't think moon boy here is gonna be of much use for a while."

Harry left, and Tonks took his place on the sofa. For a moment – a blissful moment – they were silent, but he sensed her awkward glances in his direction. Making an effort to at least sound understandable this time, he said: "If I'm hampering your efforts, I can go back to bed."

Sirius snorted. " _Hampering our efforts_? Merlin, even stoned you sound like a twat. Just sit there and try not to vomit, alright? Neither me nor Tonks are in any way capable of a Scourgify."

"Sirius!" Tonks protested. "Don't you think we should help him? He looks terrible."

His friend shook his head. "It's alright. Trust me; I've seen him after a lot of full moons. This is perfectly normal."

"M'fine," Remus murmured, giving up on articulation as a horde of trolls seemed to have taken up ballet lessons in his cerebral cortex. "Drag'ns," he reminded them weakly, before closing his eyes again, concentrating once more on willing himself out of existence.

The next hours passed in a half conscious state; he was dimly aware of the voices around him but couldn't make out any words. He must have fallen asleep at one point, because he had a very vivid dream about a furry little dragon in glasses that was telling him to take an umbrella, sounding eerily like Professor McGonagall while it did so. When he drifted awake once more, the throbbing in the back of his head seemed to have eased slightly, and the fuzziness in his mind had lifted a little.

Experimentally he opened one eyelid, only to shut it tight again with a groan when the blinding light pierced his brain like a dagger. Deciding to abandon optical cognition for now he instead concentrated on his sense of hearing. There were no voices, and for a moment he thought Sirius and Tonks had left – what time was it, anyway? – but then he heard breathing, and the sound of pages being turned.

 _Well that can't be Sirius, then_ , Remus thought, frowning with closed eyes, _he hasn't opened a book since he was thirteen._

But it was indeed Sirius who spoke next. "I still think we should go for the Conjunctivis. With one wand, the eyes are the only point where you can do any damage."

"And I told you, it's not a spell for a fourth year. If it was you or me up against that thing, sure. But Harry-"

"Harry managed a Patronus," Sirius pointed out, sounding rather smug, but Tonks merely sighed.

"For which he had half a year to practice, not a day. Look, even if he managed to learn the spell until tomorrow, it's a tiny target, and the dragon will hardly stand still. There's no way Harry's aim is good enough."

"James could have matched most Aurors while we were still at school."

"Harry's not his father!" Tonks sounded exasperated, and Remus could hardly blame her. Sirius could be terribly stubborn if he wanted to. "Look, I'm not saying that Harry's not talented, but has he ever duelled?"

"He's killed a basilisk."

"In a _sword fight_!" There was a dull sound which sounded a little like Tonks' head hitting the table. When she spoke again she sounded calm, though, her voice back to her professional Auror tone.

"Sirius, we need to be realistic here. Overestimating Harry is not going to do him any favours. We need to find out his strengths, and utilize them."

"I'm not over-"

"What's he good at? What's his strongest subject?"

Sirius huffed. "Dunno... Defence, I guess. I mean, what else is he gonna use on that thing, anyway? Throw a pot plant at it?"

"Actually, some dragons are allergic to Bubotuber Pus; Charlie said they had a terrible case of skin rash in their population last year." She sighed. "The point is; we have to look at it from different angles. Find a hole that we can exploit... what else is he good at?"

"If you were talking to this Charlie fellow so much, why didn't you ask _him_ how to get past it?" Sirius sounded rather irritated, and Remus couldn't help but share the feeling, although he couldn't remember why.

"Because they use mass stunning spells. Stop being a prat and help."

"Fine," Sirius grumbled. "He's brilliant at Quidditch. He speaks Parsel – are dragons related to snakes?"

Inwardly, Remus shared Tonks's groan. "Merlin's balls, I thought you took your NEWTs in that Care of Magical Creatures?"

"Oh come on, do you have any better ideas? He can hardly challenge that thing to a round of Quidditch, can he?"

For a moment, there was silence.

„Tonks? You're not _actually_ suggesting-"

"Flying…That's it! I bet he could get past it on a broom; Charlie said they would be chained…"

Sirius snorted. "Well, good thing they're only allowed a wand, th- oh."

Remus knew that they all had the same image in their head.

" _How's school going, Harry?" Sirius asked, throwing his godson a bottle of butterbeer._

 _Harry made a face, catching it effortlessly. "Great. We've got an enormous essay from Snape, Trelawney wants us to do another star chart, and I still can't do the stupid summoning charm. Even Neville can do it by now…"_

" _Well, if it helps I can run down to the dungeons and maul Snape for you," Sirius said, smiling at the thought. "But I suppose he'd still have you do the homework. Want help with that summoning charm? We can practice together."_

" _No." Remus came in, carrying mugs of tea – he always seemed to produce them the moment Harry stepped inside his office, as if they were summoned by his mere presence – and frowning. "I told you; we can't help him with his homework. It would not be fair towards the other students. Can't you ask Hermione for help?"_

"Remus?" Sirius voice was calm, but he could practically hear the wide grin on his friend's face. "Think you can set aside your teacherly ethics for a day?"

Slowly, Remus opened his eyes. "Tonks," he said, smiling for the first time since he had locked himself up in Birch Cottage last night, "You're brilliant."

* * *

 **Again, I tried to keep as closely to the original as possible. Hope I didn't mess it up too bad!**

 **Reviews are always welcome. :)**


	25. Agony Aunt Padfoot

**Again, I apologize for the delay. I'd love to say it'll get better from now on, but I don't think I can keep that promise. :/**

 **Rest assured that this story is completely written though, and will be uploaded completely in time. However long that will be.**

 **CaseLC: Outwardly, Vektor dislikes Tonks' perceived lack of professionalism. Inwardly, though, there's definitely some rivalry over Remus involved. And probably the idea that she needs to protect Remus from what she sees as a inconsiderate youth who ignores his fragile health.**

 **VlighPhase: Vektor's anouncment was wishful thinking more than anything, and maybe the attempt to scare off Tonks. She certainly tried to visit Remus after the full moon, but he didn't answer the door.**

 **confusedblondie: Thanks! I did see it, yeah, and I quite enjoyed it. Not sure how I feel about that whole greater story arch that is being set up, though. Personally, I feel like it would have worked better as a small stand-alone story without the Grindelwald stuff being thrown in. But I'll just have to wait and see. After all, I didn't expect much of this either and was pleasantly proven wrong.**

* * *

 **Agony Aunt Padfoot**

„And then when he swiped with his claws, and Harry did that roll – "

Remus sighed, and slowly got up from his chair to make them another round of tea. They had been back in the castle for almost two hours now, but Sirius was still recounting every single flight manoeuvre of Harry's fight against the dragon, again and again, as if Remus and Tonks had not been sitting right next to him while it happened.

"You know," Remus said to the Auror when Sirius made a little pause to catch his breath, "He doesn't even boast this much about his _own_ achievements. And that's really saying something."

"Oi!" Sirius said, "He _was_ awesome! If Karkaroff wasn't a biased piece of dung Harry'd be first place!"

"You can hardly accuse him of cheating, can you? We weren't supposed to help Harry at all."

Sirius huffed. "As if Krum didn't have help, too," he muttered angrily, but mercifully dropped the topic.

Sirius had insisted on coming as Snuffles, and Remus had actually been grateful for that. His legs had still felt rather wobbly, and having the large black dog to lean on had prevented any embarrassing tumbles. It also meant that Harry wouldn't feel bad about going to the party the Gryffindors were throwing for him, instead of coming here and reporting to Sirius. Now that Ron and he had reconciled, Harry would hopefully spend a bit less time here, and concentrate on his school life instead of Sirius' one sided stories about the Marauders' endeavours.

Which sadly meant, as Remus discovered now, that Sirius would find something else to focus his attention on. And as it turned out, he went back to one of his favourite topics, much to Remus' horror.

"Alright, then. Dragon, check. Now, to another pressing issue – when are you gonna find yourself a girl, Moony?"

Remus groaned. "Padfoot, shut up," he hissed, in the vain hope that Tonks might not have hard that. Judging by her widening eyes, she had.

"Come on," Sirius went on, sprawling on the sofa and lazily summoning a pack of Bertie Bott's beans, as if torturing Remus was a popular spectator sport. Which to him, it probably was. "Do I even want to know for how long you've been single? You don't have your 'I can't afford shit' excuse anymore; you've got a job now!"

Focusing a lot more attention than was strictly necessary on the milk he was pouring into cups, Remus avoided looking into Tonks direction. These talks were annoying when it just was Sirius and him, but now, with her watching, they had reached a whole new level of mortification.

"Since when is my love life any of your business?"

Sirius laughed. "Because if it was your own business, you'd have gone bankrupt long ago."

At that, Remus actually looked up, far too confused to feel awkward. "What?"

Sirius waved it away, not bothering to explain his confounded metaphor. "I was thinking you could go for this Vektor woman. Looks dreadfully stiff and bookish, but that's sort of your thing, isn't it? And she's totally into you."

"I- _what_?" Remus gave up making tea completely, and turned around to face Sirius. "How on earth would you know that?"

Sirius shrugged. "She comes by here a lot, doesn't she? Borrowing books, bringing over some papers... Only Tonks and Harry are here more often than she is. And when we met her during our walk last week, she actually _giggled_ when you made that flea comment about me. It wasn't even funny!"

Remus closed his eyes, shaking his head in resignation. "You're absolutely bonkers."

"I'm not!" Sirius turned to Tonks. "Back me up here. She _does_ fancy him, doesn't she?"

Tonks, who had been silently watching the whole exchange, visibly flinched when the attention was turned to her, and a touch of pink tinged her cheeks. "Uhm...maybe, I guess. Whenever I'm around she just frowns, so it's hard to tell." She looked at Sirius questioningly, and added quietly, so that Remus had to strain to catch it, "Didn't you say he's still in love with...you know, with that Val?"

If Remus had been embarrassed before, it was nothing to the sheer mortification he felt now. "What in Merlin's name did you tell her!?"

Tonks flinched again and turned pink, obviously caught out by his werewolf hearing, but Sirius merely shrugged. "She saw you with Val back in summer; I told her who she was. Didn't know you were over her then, did I?" He turned to Tonks. "Apparently he is, by the way. Which is why we have to set him up with someone. Any ideas beside Professor Arithmancy?"

Tonks seemed just as embarrassed as Remus did, and didn't look either of them in the eye. "Err...no."

Remus decided to end this idiocy before it could get any worse. Or before he could reveal anything that he rather wouldn't, least of all in front of Tonks. "Look, regardless of what you seem to think, who or if I'm dating really isn't any of your business. I'm doing fine without your help, thank you very much."

Sirius snorted. "Fine? When was the last time you had sex?"

Remus balled his fists. "Padfoot, I'm warning you. Shut. Up."

"Do you think Rosmerta still remembers you? I know it was me she had a crush on, but if you played your cards right you could totally – "

He yelped painfully when the bean he had been eating flew up into his nose, firmly jamming in his left nostril. "Moony!" He yelled in a rather nasal voice, pawing at his nose and snorting to try and dislodge it, making noises usually reserved for asthmatic pigs.

"Sorry about him," Remus said, turning to Tonks with as much casualness as he could muster, while hoping his ears weren't too pink. "I wish I could say Azkaban addled his brain, but really he has always been a pain in the arse."

Tonks offered him a grin, even though she too still looked a little embarrassed. "Cool spell."

He nodded slowly. "Invented specifically against him, actually. Works better with chewing gum; that sticks a lot longer. I'm afraid this will only be a temporary-"

There was a triumphant shout when the bean flew out of Sirius' nose and into his lap. He flicked it towards Remus. "You're a wanker, Moony."

Remus vanished the bean before it could hit him. "Learned from the best. Will you give it a rest now?"

Sirius shot him a resentful look. "No," he said defiantly.

"I think I'll leave you to it, then," Tonks said, getting up.

Remus winced. "Don't let him drive you away. There's a lot of beans left, I can shut him up for a while."

Tonks grinned vaguely, but shook her head. "I got to go anyway; I'm meeting Charlie and his friends at the Three Broomsticks. "

Her words felt like a punch into his stomach. Remus sunk back into his chair. "Ah. Alright then, have fun" He did his best to smile convincingly, though it was hard to do so when inside, he wanted nothing more than to storm into the village and feed Charlie Sodding Weasley to his stupid sodding dragons.

Tonks returned the smile somewhat half-heartedly, and left.

Remus stared at the closed door for a moment, all anger leaving him. Of course she would go out with a guy like Charlie Weasley. Somebody young, healthy, who didn't have to fear losing his job every time the ministry passed some new laws. Someone who wasn't older by... _thirteen_ years. His stomach turned at that number.

 _That's it. You finally turned into that lecherous old man parents warn their children of at the parks._

Vaguely he was aware of Sirius rattling off names of various women he knew, weighing up the pros and cons of Remus dating them, but he barely paid attention. Only when Sirius' voice suddenly stopped was he dragged back to reality.

"Wait a second..."

Remus looked up, and found Sirius' gaze switching rapidly between him and the door that Tonks had just left through. He winced at the realization that lit up the grey eyes.

"It's her, isn't it? You fancy Tonks!"

Remus stiffened. "I do not," he said quickly. Too quickly.

Sirius grin grew even broader. "You _do_!"

Remus groaned inwardly, closing his eyes in anticipation for the hexes that would inevitably follow. Nothing happened. When he opened them again, rather confused now, Sirius was still grinning at him triumphantly.

"I- aren't you supposed to be angry?" he asked weakly. "You know, considering how you freaked out this summer when you thought we were-"

"Angry!?" Sirius repeated incredulously. "Why would I be angry!? You could do a great deal worse than Tonks – at least when she's over, I don't have to go hide as a dog. You just shocked me back in summer – I mean, the last time I had seen her she was _four_!"

Remus groaned again. "Don't remind me. I feel enough like a pervert as it is."

Sirius cackled. "Pervert? You? Oh come on, Moony! It's not like she's underage! Lots of men have girlfriends younger than them – actually, I always planned on dating twenty-somethings until I was at least fifty." Remus made a face at the mental image that presented itself. Having his love life compared to Sirius' standards was not making him feel better in the slightest. "So when are you asking her out, then?"

Remus stared at him in astonishment. "I'm not asking her out!" he exclaimed incredulously.

Sirius froze. "What!? You just said you fancied her! Are you scared she might say no? She seems to like you well enough, and if it helps, there's still a bottle or two of Firewhiskey. I think she's the kind of girl who gets easier when drunk..."

"You are absolutely disgusting." Remus rose from his chair. "I'm not asking her out because I am a werewolf on the brink of joblessness who's old enough to be her father. And if you breathe any of this to Tonks, I _will_ steal Lancelot from Hagrid and destroy him."

* * *

"Soo, cousin..."

Tonks' hand froze mid-sentence, spraying ink all over her report. By now she knew Sirius well enough to be extremely wary of this tone. She looked up. "If this is about the Blast-Ended Skrewts again, I'm not helping you hide one in Remus' office."

"Spoilsport," he said, flicking a ball of crunched up parchment at her before leaning back, and asking in a far too innocuous tone: "How was your night out, then? Found yourself a hot dragon tamer?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Really?"

Sirius grinned. "What! I thought chicks dig the dangerous type. And didn't you and Charlie Weasley use to go out?"

Not bothering to ask how he knew that – with Sirius it was usually best not to – she sighed. "For about two weeks or so, yeah. In sixth year. He's really not my type."

Sirius eyes lit up. "Then who is?"

Tonks felt herself blush, as a certain werewolf professor crept into her mind. "Dunno," she said, trying very hard to sound bored, even though she was certain her voice was a little higher than usual. She could only imagine the horrifying embarrassment should Sirius find out that she fancied his best friend. Being the bastard that he was, he'd probably tell Remus right away, and then they could both have a right laugh at her...

"Oh, come on. Moony's a boring old fart, but _you_ really don't have any excuses not to date."

Tonks sighed. "So is this your thing now? You bug all of us about our love life because you don't have one of your own?"

Sirius shrugged. "Nah, just curious. I mean, you've got all these funny stories about dates, I'd have thought you go out more. And yet since the year started, you spent what, maybe three evenings away from Hogwarts?"

Tonks felt herself blush again. This was hitting dangerously close to home. "It's my job to stay here." Even to her own ears, that sounded pathetic. Sirius threw her an odd look, as if he was trying to guess her thoughts and failing. The whole situation suddenly reminded Tonks eerily of the interrogation classes during her training.

"Your _job_ – " Sirius threw a meaningful look on the heap of discarded paper work, carelessly cluttered around the room. "Yes, you do take that very seriously." He shot her another probing look. "Sure you're not here so much because the person you want to date isn't actually outside the castle but right here?"

 _Shit. He knows._

For a moment she simply stared at him, like a deer caught in the headlight. Then her Auror training kicked in.

 _He doesn't know anything. He's just fishing._

"Why do you think there's someone I fancy? Maybe I'm just sick of morons asking me to turn my hair blond."

Sirius grinned, momentarily distracted. "Yeah, I bet you get that a lot... let me guess, first question: _Can you change your_ whole _body?_ "

Tonks inwardly congratulated herself. Sirius really did have the attention span of a goldfish. "Almost. You forgot to goggle at my boobs while you said it."

Sirius laughed. "I would have, but I didn't feel like getting hexed – anyway, your secret crush. Spill."

Dammit. That was one determined goldfish.

She sighed. "Look, even if I did have one – which I don't – why would I tell you? All you do is point and laugh."

"That's not true!" Sirius sounded earnestly offended. "I'm a great help with relationships! I'll have you know I singlehandedly set up Remus and Val back in the day."

"Before or after you pointed and laughed at them?"

He grinned. "Both. And during. Moony's ridiculously easy to make fun of. He blushes like a girl."

Tonks snorted dryly. "You're such a great friend, Black. I think I'd go to my Mum for romantic advice before I'd ask you. And we're talking about the woman who once tried to set me up with a troll trainer, who I still maintain should have been the trainee instead."

Sirius laughed, and swung his chair back so it was balancing precariously on its back legs. "Come on. I promise I won't laugh...Not for long, anyway."

Tonks shot him a withering look and returned to her paperwork.

"You know, I could probably just guess. Not that many candidates here."

She kept her eyes fixed on the parchment, but did not see a word of it.

 _Act normal. He can only assume as long as you don't react._

"I don't think it's one of the students," Sirius mused. "And we can rule out Dumbledore and Filch as well, I should say." He paused a little, gauging her reaction. Tonks rolled her eyes, still not looking up. "So that leaves...Hagrid – don't think so, Flitwick, no, Binns is a ghost, Snivellus – Merlin, _please_ no, and..." He paused a while as if he was trying to remember who he might have forgotten. Waiting for her to fill in and betray herself.

 _Git._

Well, Tonks was not going to make it that easy for him.

"Karkaroff?" she offered, looking up with a smile of mock innocence.

For a moment, Sirius eyes widened in shock. "You don't- oh, _very_ funny," he muttered disgruntled, slamming his chair back on all four legs. "Alright, I'll get to the point. Do you fancy Moony or don't you?"

Now it was Tonks who was baffled, staring at him in shocked silence at his sudden bluntness. "I... _what_?"

"Remus," Sirius repeated, staring at her earnestly as if they had been having a perfectly sincere conversation. "You know, that professor bloke you hang out with all the time. Do you like him?"

Confused by this sudden mood change, Tonks tried to stall. "Of course I do; he's a great friend."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Very clever. Come on, do you like him or not? Because my plan about setting him up with someone still stands, and I'd much rather have it be you than Professor Arithmancy."

Tonks narrowed her eyes. "Doesn't he get a say in that?"

Sirius grinned. "Is that a yes? Because I really don't think he's into Vektor."

Tonks felt herself blush. "Well, he's not into me either, is he?" she asked, quietly and unable to keep the rejection out of her voice. Sirius had probably found her out already anyway.

His grin broadened. "But if he was..."

He waggled his eyebrows, and Tonks surrendered. "Alright, yes. I do fancy Remus. Now for the love of Merlin, _please_ don't tell him."

"Why?" the animagus asked, a puzzled frown replacing the triumphant grin. "It's not like he's gonna figure it out by himself; he's seriously thick with these things!"

"Good," Tonks said, picking up her quill once more. "I don't want things to be awkward."

Sirius sighed dramatically, rising to his feet to go look for a bottle of butterbeer. "You know, you're really making this more complicated than it has to be…"

* * *

 **Bit of a lighter chapter today with not much actual plot happening, but I had great fun writing it. (And hope you enjoyed it as well, of course.)**

 **For those waiting on the Letter sequel, I know I said it would be a few weeks and now it's been months, but I have not abandoned it! Progress is just a lot slower than I had hoped. The first chapter is sort of done now, apart from some polishing, but I'll want to have a few more written before I post it. The current plan is to start posting around Christmas (or a few days after, when I'll have some spare time), so bear with me!**

 **As always, reviews are very welcome :)**


	26. Snow Talk

**Happy fourth advent! (if that exists wherever you are)**

 **I was hoping to match up Christmas in this story with actual Christmas, but I'm afraid my updates have been a little bit too slow for that. You'll just have to endure the Yule Ball in Janury ;)  
**

 **Thanks for all your lovely reviews! :)**

* * *

 **Snow Talk**

"So what did Harry say when he found out he'll be forced to dance at that ball?" Tonks asked as she and Remus were strolling across the snowy grounds of Hogwarts, watching Sirius bound off towards a group of Gryffindor third years that were building a snow man down at the lake. It was the first week of December, and the Yule Ball was slowly but surely taking over every single conversation in the student body.

"I think his exact words were ' _Can't I just fight the dragon again_ '," Remus recalled, wondering if he would have to intervene to save the students from Snuffle's enthusiasm. Most of the school was used to the large dog by now – both Remus and Harry took him for walks frequently, and Tonks often kept him company during the lessons – but having spent enough winters with Sirius he knew that the animagus and snowmen didn't really mix.

Tonks laughed. "Poor Harry. I can relate – the thought of falling flat on my face in front of the whole school...no thanks."

"I'm sure you would manage to stay on your feet," Remus said politely. At her disbelieving snort, he grudgingly admitted, "Alright, you would have fallen flat on your face. But you'd have pulled it off charmingly."

Tonks laughed again, just as the sounds of children screaming wafted towards them. Apparently the snow man had joined the long line of Snuffle's victims. Thankfully, its creators didn't seem to mind much, pelting the prancing dog with snow balls while shrieking with laughter.

Remus gaze wandered away from the group towards two figures to the right, walking towards the greenhouses. A smile crept on his face as he recognized the mob of tangled blonde hair.

Ever since their talk at the greenhouse, Jarek had been opening up, little by little. He still barely spoke in lessons, and made no efforts whatsoever to communicate with his classmates, but now he often had Dennis Creevey following him around, and seemed to be at least tolerating his presence. Remus would often see them sneaking around the castle together, exploring corners and creatures. Professor Sprout had been pleasantly surprised to find her nettle patch freshly de-gnomed last week, and even though he there was no evidence, Remus was had a pretty clear idea who was responsible.

He hadn't written to Val about their talk after all, so he still didn't know why Jarek could see Thestrals, but now it didn't seem as important anymore, as the boy finally appeared to settle in, despite whatever trauma he had lived through.

"Were you telling the truth?"

Tonks' voice pulled him out of his contemplations, and he looked up, seeing that she had followed his gaze. "What?"

Tonks looked away from Jarek, facing him. There was an odd determination in her dark eyes now. "When you told Sirius that you didn't love Val anymore. Was that the truth or did you just want to get him off your back?"

Remus stared at her for a moment, completely dumbfounded. "I-Of course it was the truth," he answered finally, feeling rather uncomfortable to be talking about his love life with Tonks, and at the same time surprised that she would care. Her expression seemed a bit too serious for this to be a casual question. "I broke up with her when I was eighteen, and we dated for barely more than a year. It was a long enough time ago to get well and truly over her."

 _Also long enough to make me way too old for you._

He ignored that depressing thought, laughing instead in a bid to relieve the awkwardness he felt at their conversation. "And you saw Sirius the other day. Didn't work in getting him off my back at all, did it?"

Tonks flashed a grin at that, but her expression became contemplative again, an odd little smile creeping on her face. "Good," she muttered quietly, so quietly that Remus wasn't even sure he had heard her correctly. He was, however, pretty sure that the pink tinge appearing on her face was not just due to the cold.

He looked at her, slightly confused, wondering whatever it meant and at the same time trying not to read too much into it.

Ever since he had found out about Remus' not-so-little crush, Sirius had been pestering him to ask Tonks out. And, worryingly, more and more often Remus found his mind wandering, contemplating ways to win her over, what to do, to say... He always managed to catch himself in time, to return to the harsh reality in which him and Tonks dating was as likely as Hagrid becoming minister of magic, but the ideas lingered. The tiny flame of _what if,_ that flickered into life with every smile, every glance that Tonks sent into his direction. Just as it did now.

Tonks hastily cleared her throat. "So, are you taking Professor Vektor to the Ball then?" she asked, not quite pulling off the casual tone.

Remus huffed. "I really don't think teachers are supposed to be 'taking anybody to the ball'. And-" he quickly added as Tonks was already opening her mouth, "I most certainly do not fancy Septima."

Tonks grinned. "Shame," she said, not sounding sorry at all, "Cos Sirius is right, you know. She's totally into you."

Once more, Remus felt distinctly uncomfortable. "I seriously doubt that," he said, even though he had to admit himself that the Arithmancy professor had been rather friendly towards him these past months, "And even if she was, she can't seriously be expecting us to..." He tried not to blush, and failed. "Get together or something."

Tonks looked at him, genuinely surprised. "Why not?"

Remus swallowed, looking over to where Snuffles was now demonstrating what was probably supposed to be a snow angel so he wouldn't have to look at her. "I would have thought that was obvious," he said, unable to keep the regret out of his voice. When she didn't answer, he elaborated. "I'm a werewolf, Tonks. My kind...we're not..." he struggled to find the right words. "Suited for long-term relationships."

He finally looked back at her, finding her staring at him in confusion. "Is this some sort of weird werewolf-infidelity instinct? You can't have sex with the same person twice or something?"

Remus eyes widened, and he felt his face burn in mortification. "No!" he exclaimed horrified, wishing very hard for a hole in the ground to swallow him up. This conversation was getting worse by the second. "I turn into a monster once a month, I'm always on the brink of unemployment, and I'm never going to be rich," he blurted, deciding to just get it over with before Tonks got even worse ideas off his stuttering. "Not to mention the stigma that comes with my condition. I don't think anybody would want to put up with that, and quite frankly I wouldn't want them to – least of all someone I care about."

For a moment they simply looked at each other, and Remus wondered if he had given himself away, if she had realized his words weren't spoken with regards to Professor Vektor.

Because if he hadn't just imagined that look on her face earlier, he needed to make sure she would back away quickly. Whatever his own feelings, Tonks having a crush on him was about the last thing he needed.

However, far from understanding, Tonks face distorted into a mixture of anger and disbelief. "That's bonkers!" she exclaimed. "You're completely harmless. And you _have_ got a job – and even if you didn't, why should that keep you from being with someone? It's not even like any of that is your fault!"

At her burst of outrage, Remus felt an odd mixture of warmth and dread creep up in him.

 _She doesn't think it matters..._

It was wonderful and terrifying at the same time. Because as much as he wanted it – and there was no denying that he did, hopelessly, fancy her – Tonks and him could not be together. He could not do that to her. And if she didn't understand that...

 _Does it really matter, though? It's not like she'd actually go out with you; you're still way too old and boring for her. She's probably just being nice._

He forced himself to smile. "That's kind of you, but I don't think you quite realize the implications. You have to understand what lycantrophy means; it-"

"Oh, you don't think I understand?" Tonks did actually sound angry now. _Far too angry for this to be a hypothetical debate..._ "You think I haven't considered all that?"

She stopped, reddening again, and Remus looked at her, slightly startled.

"No," he admitted slowly. "I did not think you had."

And why on earth would she?

Tonks cleared her throat, looking down. "Well, I have," she muttered quietly, her face still very red. "And I think you're being stupid about it. If someone wants to be with you, that's their decision to make, isn't it? You're not dangerous, you have a job, and that thing about stigma...my Mum caused a scandal when she married my Dad, but that didn't stop her, did it? Or him."

Remus didn't really know what to say to that. "She did lose her family," he pointed out, feeling rather childish but unable to think of anything else. "And I know that your father did have doubts about it. It was because of him your family had to go into hiding during the war, fearing for their lives."

Tonks looked up sharply, eyes narrowing. "Are you calling my Dad selfish?"

Remus winced, realizing he had backed himself into a corner. "Of course not," he said quickly. "He did everything to keep you safe. I just meant that... that there are always things other than your own happiness to consider. It's...it was a bad comparison. Being muggle born is nothing like being a lycantrope."

Tonks snorted. "Point still stands," she said indignantly, picking at the end of her scarf. "If you really liked someone, and they liked you back, you shouldn't just push that away because you're scared." Remus didn't answer, and they walked silently for a while, finally reaching Snuffles and the third years.

The dog was currently busy crouching down, obviously inviting a very excited Colin Creevey to climb onto his back. When he saw them approach, Creevey looked up.

"Can I ride on your dog, Professor?" Remus stared at Sirius for a moment, trying to glare at him but getting nothing but some happy panting in return. Behind him, he could hear Tonks snigger.

"Maybe another time," he said, forcing himself to smile. "I think Snuffles here has been causing enough havoc for one day. I do apologize about the snow man."

Creevey looked disappointed for a moment, but was quickly grinning again. "That's no problem, professor! He's an awesome dog!"

Inwardly, Remus groaned. Just what Sirius' already over-inflated ego did not need to hear.

"Thank you, Mr Creevey," he said, polite smile definitely wavering now. "A good day to you all." With that he nodded towards the other students and turned around. "Come, Snuffles." For a moment he thought Sirius would disobey, but then he heard the sound of heavy paw steps behind him, and a moment later Sirius was bounding alongside them, barking happily as he tried to trip Remus.

"Having them _ride on your back_? Seriously?" he hissed as soon as they were out of ear shot, expertly avoiding the scampering dog legs. "Could you act any less like a dog if you _tried_?" Sirius lolled his tongue at him, shaking so that snow flew onto Remus and Tonks.

"You were right; he's just as much of an arsehole as a dog," Tonks commented, brushing snow off her robes and stumbling when Sirius brushed past her.

Back at the castle they went their separate ways, as Remus had classes to teach. However, he found that he could barely concentrate that afternoon, mind constantly wandering back to the conversation they had just had.

 _She doesn't think it matters._

That was really the only certain thing he could take away from their conversation. Tonks didn't think that he should forgo relationships just because of his lycantrophy. And for the first time since he had made his mind up about it at the age of thirteen, he thought that maybe she was right.

It _had_ gotten better, after all. Thanks to the Wolfsbane Potion he was relatively harmless now, as long as he did not forget to take it (and after what happened last June, he did not think that he ever would again). He wasn't so desperately poor anymore; he had a job, a regular income and even a house. And, at Hogwarts at least, he was accepted.

 _But all of that could change very quickly if the right people came to power in the ministry._

And of course, all of that might just as well be irrelevant.

Because, for the life of him, he could not figure out what the rest of their conversation had meant.

Surely, Tonks could not... Or could she? Did she?

And if she did, what would he do about it?

* * *

 **They're getting there. Slowly. And very awkwardly.**


	27. Man's Best Wingman

**So... happy new year?**

 **It's been a while... if you want an explanation, my excuse is that I moved to Scotland at the beginning of January to study here for a semester, and that's obviously been quite stressful. It's a bit of a lousy one and I should've seen it coming, but I'm afraid that's all your gonna get.**

 **To make up for it (and to distract from what's currently happening in Washington) here's two chapters at once. And a promise (not that mine are worth much) to upload the next one by next Friday.**

 **(The letter sequel is also still very much under way, it's just taking me forever. I'm sorry)**

* * *

 **Man's best wing man**

„There's a student out of bed." Sirius sat on the couch as Remus entered the room, legs crossed and a Cauldron cake in his hand. He was crouched over a piece of parchment that Remus recognized all too well. "Down in the first floor. I think it's a Slytherin, if you hurry you can still catch him."

Remus took off his coat, rolling his eyes. "It's barely five minutes past nine, he probably just forgot." He took out his wand and got the kettle to work, absentmindedly leafing through the Daily Prophet that Sirius had left on the table.

"I don't think so…Look! There's another one with him now, Emma Brooks – but _hello_! I think I know that broom cupboard. Moony, you have to get down there _now_!"

Remus set down the paper, and poured himself a cup of tea. "I'm not going to use the map to hunt down students out of bed," he protested. "Since when do you care about rules anyway?"

"I don't," Sirius rectified, setting the map aside, "I care about punishing Slytherins."

"I'm pretty sure Brooks is a Ravenclaw."

Sirius waved the comment away. "Collateral damage. And anyway, you do want Gryffindor to win the House Cup, don't you?"

Remus sighed as he sat down in his armchair. "I'm a teacher, I'm not supposed to takes sides. And given that you're a dog, neither are you." He flicked his wand to summon a book he was reading, an interesting report on dementors that might prove useful for his sixth years.

"Piss on neutrality," Sirius protested. "I'm a Gryffindor dog!"

There was a knock on the door. "Then get on being a dog," Remus hissed, and Sirius transformed immediately, leaping off the couch. The corridor was empty as Remus opened the door.

"It's me. Can I come in?" a disembodied voice called, and he hastily stepped aside.

"Harry! Sure, come on." He closed the door and the invisibility cloak slipped off, revealing a teenager in his pyjamas and a Weasley jumper.

He was almost immediately assaulted by a big black dog who tried to lick his face before transforming back into the man and hugging his godson. "Thought you had forgotten about me," he complained, despite Harry's last visit barely being a week ago.

"So do you want me to deduct points off him for being out of bed as well?" Remus asked dryly as he set upon making a second cup of tea for Harry.

Sirius sent him a pointed glare. "Go back to whining about neutrality and leave us alone."

"You were the one whining. And this is my place, in case you forgot." He handed Harry his tea and sat back into his chair. "What are you doing here this late? I _should_ send you back to bed, you know. I am, after all, a teacher."

Harry just grinned, and flopped down next to Sirius on the sofa. "Nah, you're more like an uncle. And anyway, you said I shouldn't be seen visiting you so often." Remus had to admit the boy had a point. And being called an uncle still made him feel oddly warm at heart.

"Yeah, but he's the lame, boring uncle who makes you do your homework," Sirius said, getting another cauldron cake and offering one to Harry. "I'm the cool uncle who takes you on his motorcycle."

Harry laughed. "He's a werewolf professor and you're the family dog. I think it's pretty clear who's the cool uncle."

"Oi! From my _own_ godson!"

Remus just smiled mildly. "You wanted him to be like James, didn't you? Stop complaining."

"Shut up, wolf boy. So, Harry. Got a date yet?"

The boy groaned, and lifted his mug to hide is face. "No. Please stop asking."

"I will when you get a girl. Seriously, how have you not had a date yet? My own godson! That's embarrassing!"

"He's fourteen," Remus tried to help Harry. "It's hardly like he's late."

Harry seemed only mildly cheered by that, especially as Sirius drove right back in again. "It's late in my book. We all dated at fourteen…" Remus raised an eyebrow, and his friend hastily added "Those of us who weren't ugly little rats or had hairy problems to hide behind, anyway."

"My dad had a girlfriend at fourteen?" Harry asked, suddenly sounding alarmed.

Remus shot Sirius an angry look and said: "Your dad was an idiot at fourteen. You don't have to follow him in everything, trust me."

Sirius nodded, lost in memory. "Course we were idiots. Good times; you should try it some time." Remus wondered how Lily had ever agreed on making Sirius godfather.

"Everybody seems to have someone for the Yule ball, though," Harry said after a short silence. "I mean, Ron doesn't, but..."

"You don't have to bring a girl just because everybody else does," Remus said softly, glaring at Sirius who had opened his mouth to protest. "Is there someone you'd like to ask?"

Harry didn't reply, but his blushing cheeks were answer enough.

"AHA!" Sirius cried jumping off the coach like an excited six-year-old who had been given a new broom. "I knew it! Who is she? "

Harry reddened even further. "I-I don't…" Remus wondered if he should leave, if this was something Harry would rather talk about with his godfather in private, but somehow he had a feeling that Sirius wasn't being helpful at all.

"Cho Chang," Harry finally said, so quickly that Remus barely understood the name.

"Cho Chang?" It took a while until he could place the name. "The Ravenclaw? Fifth year?"

Almost as soon as he said it he regretted his words, for Sirius yelled again, even more happy. He seemed positively crazy now. "Fifth year? She's older than you? Way to go Harry!" Remus had the distinct impression that it wouldn't take much for Sirius to actually start dancing on the table. Harry, in contrast, seemed to try his hardest to vanish between the sofa cracks.

"Ignore him, he'll calm down in a minute." Remus tried to cheer the boy up. "She seems nice. Have you talked to her?"

Harry's face reddened again. "No, not really."

Sirius abruptly stopped his gloating. "What? Why not?"

Harry seemed highly uncomfortable now. "Well, I can't just go up to her and say hi, can I?"

"Course you can! Tell her hi, you look great, let's go to the Ball together. Done."

Harry stared at him incredulously. "I can't do that! She probably doesn't even know me."

Now it was Sirius who stared. "Doesn't _know you_!? You're Harry freaking Potter! _Everybody_ knows you."

Harry ducked his head. "Well…that doesn't help, though. I mean, she knows _about_ me, but not…like I said, I've never even spoken to her properly."

Sirius sighed. "Merlin, this is harder than I thought. What's the point of being famous if you have the self-confidence of a flobberworm to go with it?"

"It makes you a great deal less obnoxious than certain other infamous people," Remus said dryly, slowly giving up hope for Harry. He himself had been at the receiving end of Sirius' matchmaking often enough to know that at this point all you really could do was let the crazy wash over you and wait till he got bored.

"Hey, obnoxious gets you lots of girls."

Remus sighed. "Yes. Obnoxious girls. I don't think Cho Chang is obnoxious."

Harry shook his head. "She isn't obnoxious!"

Sirius groaned. "Can we please all stop saying obnoxious? And fine, I get it. You need to play shy boy. That's actually Moony's forte, though to be honest he's terrible at it. And he's a prude, so he won't help anyway." He thought for a moment, before grinning the grin that Remus and everybody who knew Sirius had come to fear.

"You need a way to talk to a girl. Thankfully, I have just the idea…Does Miss Chang like dogs?"

Remus groaned inwardly. Apparently the crazy had only just started.

..-

"Wotcher, Remus! Why is Snuffles out in the corridors attacking random girls?"

He looked up from marking some essays at her voice and smiled when he saw Tonks closing the door behind her. "Because he forgot to ask Harry what Cho Chang looks like, I would imagine," he answered, setting the parchment away.

"What now?" Tonks asked confused as she threw her travelling cloak onto an armchair and sank into the sofa. Over the months she had grown accustomed to Sirius many mad ideas, but this she couldn't quite place.

Remus summoned two cups of tea and joined her on the sofa. "Long story. The short version is, Harry was reckless enough to not only let slip in front of Sirius he doesn't have a date for the Yule ball yet, but also that he fancies some Ravenclaw girl. Sirius, obnoxious prat that he is, decided to _help him out_ "

"Oh god. I can see where this is going."

Remus nodded solemnly, sipping his tea. "Indeed. Girls love cute dogs, dog jumps at girl, Harry apologizes, they start talking. That's his theory, anyway. He's tried it before."

Tonks snorted into her cup. "Did it work?"

Remus laughed. "Merlin, no. He wanted to help James get Lily Evans. Turns out she was a cat person, though. And hated James' guts, of course."

"And Harry still agreed to this?"

Remus shrugged. "It's not like he had much of a choice, really. You know how Sirius gets. I'd have to lock him in here to stop him, but then I _am_ rather partial to my furniture…"

Suddenly the door flew open, and a large black dog stormed into the room, soaking wet and dripping muddy water all over the carpet. With a flick of his hind leg he slammed the door shut, shook himself sending water droplets flying in every direction, and jumped onto the armchair.

" _Padfoot!_ "

"That's my cloak you mangy dog!"

The dog barked happily, wiping his muddy snout on the armrest and transformed back to Sirius Black, equally wet and shaggy. "Relax, Moony can clean that," he said, dragging the cloak from under him and throwing it at Remus.

"I'm not your house-elf," he said, still catching it. And yet, after a quick _Scourgify_ he sent it towards the coat rack by the door.

"But you're the host, so it's still your job," Sirius shrugged, summoning himself a pack of Bertie Bott's beans from the cupboard.

"And you're an insufferable mutt who'll be sleeping on the grounds soon," Remus shot back, drying off his carpet with a few quick spells.

"No I won't. All the students love me, they'd take me in. I made lots of new friends today."

Tonks leant forward curiously. "Was one of them Cho Chang?"

Abruptly, Sirius' face darkened. "No, _her_ I wanted to bite. But Harry wouldn't let me."

Remus' eyebrows rose. "I take it she won't be going to the ball with him, then?"

Sirius let emitted a low, very dog-like growl. "No, she's going with that pillock Diggory." He made a disgusted face. "A _Hufflepuff_! How can one be beaten by a Hufflepuff?"

"Watch it, mutt!" Tonks hissed, pointing her wand. "Or you'll be dragged back to Azkaban by one."

"No I won't, you'd lose your job. And Moony would never talk to you again."

Remus snorted. "I wouldn't be so sure. And if I were you, I'd watch my back. Her stinging charms are first class."

Sirius gave a shrug, but his eyes followed Tonks' wand until she pocketed it again. Only then did he dare to speak again. "Can't you give him detention or something? Make him miss the ball?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "No, I can't. It's during the holidays for Merlin's sake! And what makes you think I would do that anyway?"

Sirius let out a frustrated sigh. "What's the point in being a professor if you don't make use of it? You're a disgrace to the Marauders, I hope you know that."

"I can hardly forget, with you telling me on a daily basis," Remus muttered, dodging an ear wax bean that Sirius had flicked at him. "How's Harry?"

"Sulking in the common room. He should just ask out some other chick; there's lots of good-looking ones who were more than charmed by Snuffles." He took another mouthful of beans. "I guess I could bite Diggory at the ball…"

"You're not going to the ball!"

"Oh come on! _Everyone_ 's going!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "And nobody's taking their pets. If you behave I'll bring you a treacle tart."

Sirius muttered some angry curses and something along the way of "heartless bastard", but relented, instead turning to Tonks. "So how's Buckbeak doing? Andie throw him out yet?"

Tonks shrugged. "She would if she could, I think. Keeps complaining about dirt and feathers she has to vanish from the shed. I told her a hippogriff doesn't need to have his den cleaned on a daily basis, but you know her... She despises untidiness more than she does blood supremacists."

She noticed Remus fidgeting in his chair at her words, and remembered how uncomfortable he was with the whole business of parking "his" hippogriff at her parents'. Quickly, Tonks continued. "But that's only excuses; she actually likes cleaning. What really pisses her off is that Dad now listens to all the Quidditch games in the shed with Buckbeak. He says at least hippogriffs don't ask him to turn the volume down."

Sirius laughed. "Poor Andie. I'm sure Buckbeak would just as well read _Witch Weekly_ with her if she sat with him. He likes company."

The image of her Mum reading an article about cooking charms to a hippogriff made Tonks spill her tea laughing. "Sorry," she mumbled when she recovered and Remus had cleaned up the mess. "But seriously, no need to worry about Buckbeak. He's doing fine, and Mum and Dad say you can leave him with them for as long as it takes to find a permanent solution." To be fair, it had only been Ted saying that, but she felt like it was a justifiable stretch.

"Glad to hear it. Will you be staying with them during Christmas, then?" Sirius asked, and Tonks shook her head.

"Nah, told Mum I've got to stay here. They always have a horrible party on Christmas Eve where she invites all sorts of people that are "important", and have "such a nice son". Always ends in utter humiliation – last year I accidentally elbowed the Head of the Spirit Division in the face; and he bled into the punch..." She shuddered at the memory, while Sirius roared with laughter.

Remus managed to keep a sympathetic expression on his face although she could see the edges of his mouth twitching.

"Anyway, didn't feel like any of that so I said I've got to stay here for security and whatnot. I'll pop over on Boxing Day for a bit; hopefully they'll be too tired by then to make much of a fuss."

"So you'll be going to the Yule Ball then?" Sirius enquired, and suddenly Tonks noticed the devilish gleam in his eyes.

"Well...yes, of course," she answered cautiously, wondering what fresh embarrassment Sirius had in stow now.

The animagus grinned, head swirling over to Remus. "So are you two going together then?"

Tonks stiffened, feeling herself blush almost immediately.

 _Oh no you didn't, you mangy mutt!_

But to her surprise, Remus didn't seem flustered at all. There was a short pause before he spoke but when he did, the smile on his face was perfectly composed. "Well, as I said earlier, staff are not expected to bring dates. Seeing as both of us will be there, however, I should say we will see each other at the ball, yes."

While he spoke his eyes had wandered over to Tonks, and the blue gaze was now burning into hers with an intensity that made her knees feel distinctly weak. Could he possibly...

Sirius seemed to be just as taken aback as she was, for he narrowed his eyes for a moment, staring at Remus as if trying to figure him out. Obviously failing, he shrugged. "Well, tell me how it went then, will you? I'll just be spending the night alone, leading the life of the dog that I am."

Remus finally turned away from Tonks, making breathing distinctly easier. "You know," he said, sipping his tea indifferently. "That shtick would only work if you weren't such a git all the other times. I feel it hard to sympathize with the man who only minutes ago threw a bean at me and called me a heartless bastard."

"Oh, bugger off Casanova," Sirius grunted, before turning to Tonks. "Don't you have some paperwork to do? He's annoying when you're here, all happy and confident. I like him more when he's all whiny and fetches me Butterbeer."

Remus peered at him over his cup with a slight frown. "Are you drunk?" He still sounded calm, but Tonks could see a faint pink tinge appearing on his cheeks. She felt her own heartbeat accelerate once more. Was Sirius just trying to wind her up? Or was Remus really happier when she was here?

Suddenly, she felt herself looking forward to the Yule Ball a great deal more.


	28. How Dreadful It Is To Go Over The Moor

**How dreadful it is to go over the moor**

It was the last week before the Christmas holidays when Tonks found herself at the Leaky Cauldron, planning to meet a few colleagues. She did go into the office once or twice a month, but those were only short visits spent in meetings or handing in reports, and it had been months since she had properly talked to any of her work friends.

She had left the castle early, planning to get her Christmas shopping done while in London, but soon given up on it when she found Diagon Alley completely cramped, and decided to just go to Hogsmeade later instead. This meant she was half an hour early when she entered the Pub, which was just as crowded as the street behind her, even though it wasn't even eight. She managed to secure herself a Butterbeer and sipped it, watching the crowd as she waited for Kingsley and the others to arrive.

She had always liked the Leaky Cauldron, and the odd assortment of people it drew. Especially so close to Christmas it was crammed to the brim with the most colourful of characters. In all that chaos it took her a while to notice the shabbily dressed man standing at the bar a few feet away from her, slowly sipping his own beer. She grinned, picking up her own mug and squeezing past a fat warlock who was holding something that looked suspiciously like a dragon egg. (Tonks was very relieved not to be on duty)

"Wotcher!"

Remus visibly flinched when she appeared next to him at the bar, sloshing a bit of his Butterbeer on his worn sleeves. "Nymphadora!"

She grimaced. "It's Tonks, you prat. What are you doing here? Why didn't you say you were headed here, we could have gone together!" She winced as soon as the words had left her mouth.

 _Maybe he simply wanted to get away from you for one night, seeing as you practically set up camp in his quarters._

But Remus merely smiled. "I do apologize. I didn't really plan to come here; Padfoot just had one of his wild music nights. I did a tactical retreat in the face of _Who's Next._ "

Tonks grimaced in sympathy. Sirius did one hell of a volume charm on that ancient record player of his. "I'm meeting some colleagues," she said, answering his unuttered question. "I'm a bit early though, mind if I keep you company?"

Remus shook his head. "Not at all. I'm not staying long, though; I'm just taking shelter until nightfall."

Tonks cocked her head. "Waiting till Sirius passes out drunk?" she guessed.

Remus pressed his lips together in grim amusement. "Not quite, although he had the photo album out so it is a very likely outcome. Actually I'm headed for the Fens," he said, pointing to the broomstick that Tonks now found resting next to him to the bar, "I need a Hinkypunk for my third years."

Tonks stared at him in surprise. "So you go out in the bogs to catch one? In the middle of the night? In December?"

Remus shrugged, looking slightly abashed now. "Well, they don't usually come out during the day. And how else am I supposed to get one?"

Tonks didn't answer, unsure what to make of it. She couldn't really judge if this was normal – after all, with the track record of Defence Teachers at Hogwarts, it was hard to discern what the official curriculum even looked like – but it did seem like a lot of effort for a teacher to go through.

"Doesn't the ministry have some you could borrow?" she wondered. "They do have Boggarts."

Remus made a face. "Even if they would give one to me – which I strongly doubt, seeing as most people in the Beings Division would like to lock me up down there as well – it's not really the same. A Hinkypunk that's been living in a cage for that long has about as much in common with a wild one as a Chihuahua does with a wolf. I might as well show them pictures."

"That's what Professor Cottonbrock did," Tonks said. "Like with the Boggart. I've Never actually seen a Hinkypunk in the flesh."

Remus shrugged. "They are rather ugly, though very peculiar," he said. "You're welcome to take a look at it some time; I'm not planning to release it until after the holidays."

"Or I could just come now and help you." The words were out of her mouth before she could really think about it, and she felt herself blushing madly at Remus' surprised look.

"Weren't you meeting with your friends?"

Tonks looked at her glass, trying to morph over her red cheeks and wondering how on earth she could get herself out of this. "Well, yeah...but it's really cold and dark out; I thought you might like some help."

 _Dammit. Now it sounds like you think he's incompetent._

But Remus merely smiled. "There's really no need for you to ruin your night out." There was no rejection in his voice, just honest surprise. In fact, he sounded almost pleased at her suggestion. "But thank you for the offer, that's very kind."

Tonks shrugged. "It's not a great loss, really," she said, suddenly very eager to go with him. "I don't even like half of them. Kingsley might be annoyed if I don't show up, but he made me do his annual report, so he's got it coming. And if I'm honest, hunting Hinkypunks in the bogs sounds a lot more exciting than listening to Proudfoot's sexist jokes all night."

Remus hesitated, visibly torn. "It's really not very interesting," he said, even though she could see that he was clearly charmed by the idea of having her tag along, "Mostly it consists on flying over cold moorland looking for lights for hours."

Tonks grinned. "I like flying."

"I only brought one broom."

"We can share, can't we?"

Remus paused, looking up at her, and for a moment their eyes locked.

Tonks had the feeling that they were both thinking the same thing – sharing a broom would mean they'd be pressed together, far greater physical contact than they had had so far.

She swallowed. "I... I mean, I could get mine from Hogwarts..."

Before she could say more, the door opened once more, and she saw Kingsley enter, followed by Proudfoot and Turpin. She jumped up, hesitating to throw one last look at Remus. "If you're really alright with me tagging along..."

Remus tried to smile, even though it looked more like an embarrassed grimace, and mumbled something she didn't catch. But he seemed to be nodding, so she took it as a yes and made her way over to Kingsley.

"Tonks!" the Auror boomed as soon as he saw her, grinning broadly. "How's school going?"

"Wonderful, I think I'll pass my OWLs," she rolled her eyes, before putting an apologetic look on her face. "I'm afraid I can't stay tonight, though, there was an...emergency at Hogwarts. I need to go." She tried to sound annoyed, failing miserably.

Kingsley frowned. "Emergency? Can't the teachers handle that? It's your night off!" Tonks shrugged. "Dunno, I think I have to check it out. I'll join you later if it turns out to be nothing." She felt slightly guilty about lying to him, but it wasn't as if she was leaving him on his own. And he _had_ sent her a homework planner with his last owl.

She met Remus in the back yard of the Pub, holding his broom and watching the sky with a thoughtful expression.

"Dark enough?"

At her words he swirled around, relaxing when he saw it was her. "I'd have wished for a few more clouds, but it'll do," he said, nodding. "Are you sure about this? It'll be terribly cold. And dull."

Tonks grinned. "Trying to get rid of me?" she teased.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He offered his hand and she took it, and as she felt the gut-wrenching pull of him apparating them she couldn't help but notice that he had not in fact stopped to fetch her broom.

..-

Tonks found herself on a dark field, mud squelching below her boots as she landed hard, nearly falling over. Remus, still holding her hand, caught her and pulled her upright, before releasing her and looking around. They weren't that far away from London, and the weather was much the same. The sky was mostly clear, with the half-moon shining down at them, and it was windier than in the city, a frosty breeze making Tonks wish she had put on a scarf.

"Here." Apparently he had seen her shiver, because when she looked up she saw Remus holding his own scarf out for her. She didn't take it.

"That's yours! You shouldn't be cold just because I'm too stupid to dress properly."

Remus shrugged. "You dressed for a Pub, not a night out on the bogs. I've got a warm cloak, I'll be fine." When she still hesitated, a sly smile crept on his face. "Admit it, the only reason you don't want to wear it is because it's a Gryffindor scarf."

Tonks snorted. "That's bollocks!" But she still took the scarf, if somewhat reluctantly. "Just say when you want it back, okay?"

Remus nodded, but as soon as she put the warm wool around her neck, Tonks decided that he wasn't going to get it back, ever. It smelled far too good, far too...Remus.

"Well then...shall we?" The source of her new favourite perfume line said, holding out his broomstick rather awkwardly. "It's not the newest model, I'm afraid, and I'm an abysmal flyer."

Tonks grinned. "I'll do the flying, you find us some Hinkypunks," she decided, feeling rather emboldened all of a sudden. Maybe it was the Gryffindor scarf.

They climbed on the broom, Remus behind her, reluctantly placing his hands on her hips, and Tonks pushed them off the ground, soaring into the night sky. Immediately she was hit by another wave of icy wind, instinctively huddling back into Remus. Trying to ignore the tingling at the feeling of his warm body behind her, his smell, his breathing behind her ear...

"I think that's high enough." His voice pulled her out of her shocked stupor, and she hastily levelled the broom to stop their ascend, turning eastwards where she could see starlight reflected on water.

"What exactly are we looking for, then?" She had to shout to make her voice heard over the wind, and flinched in shock when she heard his answer right next to her, his breath tickling her ear.

"Points of light, really. These parts are uninhabited, so there shouldn't be any other source of light. Also look for clouds of smoke; their lanterns aren't always illuminated."

As simple as that plan sounded, actually executing it was surprisingly hard. For once, the pools of water kept reflecting the moon and stars, filling the ground below them with a lot of distracting light points – she understood now why Remus had wished for cloudy weather – and making the search incredibly frustrating. And secondly, as the night went on the wind picked up considerably. It helped somewhat with the reflections, as the rippling water made them flicker, easily distinguishable from actual lanterns, but it also made the already chilly night feel truly arctic.

Remus soon gave up the awkward grip he had on her hips, reaching instead around her to hold on to the broomstick, huddling against her for warmth – making Tonks almost grateful for the cold. In fact, having Remus pressed against her more than made up for numb fingers and a frozen nose, especially when he handed her his gloves, explaining that werewolves didn't get cold as easily as normal humans did.

The wind made it difficult to communicate so they mostly kept silent, but as she was leaning over on the broomstick, back pressed against Remus, Tonks didn't even feel slightly bored, despite the fruitlessness of their search. On the contrary, her mind was racing with thoughts, ideas, images... was he as happy about the cold as she was? Had he simply not wanted to waste any time or was this why he hadn't gone to fetch another broom for her, so they could share his? Was he enjoying this as much as she was? Or was she simply reading way too much into it?

"There – slow down, and go right a bit..."

So immersed in her musings was she that it took her a second to react to Remus words, and she came to a halt rather abruptly, nearly falling of the broom in the process. "Where?"

"There..." he raised an arm, pointing towards a spot several yards to their right. Tonks squinted her eyes, but couldn't see anything. "Go lower, but don't land, the ground's not safe here," Remus instructed, his voice calm but concentrated, completely different from his previous light-hearted tone. Carefully, Tonks did as he said, keeping their feet dangling a foot or two above the muddy surface.

And then she saw it as well – a wispy cloud of smoke, only a few yards away from them. At their approach, it suddenly moved, solidifying into a maggoty form with only one leg and no face, holding a lantern in one of his grey arms. The light blinded Tonks, making it hard to concentrate on the surroundings, as the Hinkypunk started hopping on his leg, slowly going away from them, stopping now and then to see if they would follow.

"What now?" she whispered, staring at the strange creature. All they had learned in school was to stay away from Hinkypunks, and how to recognize their lanterns in a swamp. In no part of the lesson had they ever talked about catching one.

Looking at it now, Tonks couldn't help but agree with the curriculum – the creature looked positively disgusting, and why one would want to capture one was beyond her.

Unless, of course, you were a very dedicated Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"Light," Remus said, and she felt him draw his wand with one hand. "It stuns them, if only for a short while. Then we need to put it into the box before it turns back into smoke."

Tonks turned the broom and slowly followed the Hinkypunk, steadily getting closer. "You have very odd hobbies."

Remus chuckled slightly. "So I've been told." He pulled a small glass box out of his robes, tapping it with his wand until it grew, before handing it to her. "You hold this, I'll stun him and put him in."

"Why do you get to do the exciting stuff?" Tonks complained. She could swear she heard Remus sigh, but he took the box back nonetheless.

"Fine, you take him. But be careful after stunning it, if he's not out completely he might grab you and pull you off the broom."

"Sure thing, Professor Lupin," Tonks grinned, drawing her own wand while accelerating slightly. When she was just about a yard away from the Hinkypunk, she stretched out her arm, muttering " _Lumos_ " and grinning broadly when the creature froze before stumbling to the ground with a chocked screech.

"Quickly now, but careful," Remus instructed. "Prod it with your wand first to make sure it's-"

He didn't get further, as Tonks had already reached out to the Hinkypank, letting out a shocked yelp when surprisingly strong fingers yanked at her wand, unsettling her balance. Instinctively she shot out a stunning spell, slamming the Hinkypunk into the mud below, but her hand trying to grab the broomstick missed, and she slipped off it, clawing at the air almost comically as she fell.

"Nymphadora!"

Remus tried to grab her, but was hindered by the glass box in his arms, and before he could so much as utter a spell she was already crashing into the mud facedown with a loud squelch, crying out in shock as much as at the sudden cold.

"Nymphadora, are you alright?"

Below her she could feel the Hinkypunk wiggle, and without thinking she grasped at the general direction, feeling something vaguely leg-shaped in her grip and yanking it off the ground. "Here you go," she mumbled, still half stunned from her sudden acquaintance with the bog. "Take the damn thing."

Quickly, Remus obeyed, moving the writhing creature into the glass box before closing and shrinking it again. Then he leant forward, holding out an arm. "Take my hand. And don't move, you'll just sink more quickly." Tonks, who had been trashing around madly trying to get to her feet, immediately stilled, grabbing the offered arm instead and feeling herself hauled out of the swamp in a rather undignified manner.

Remus barely waited for her to climb onto the broom behind him. "Are you alright? Did it bite you?" Through her shock, Tonks vaguely noticed how panicked his voice sounded.

"I-I'm f-fine," she managed to stutter, shivering wildly in the cold. "W-Wet and f-freezing."

"Hold on, I'll just find a safe place to land."

This time Tonks could not enjoy holding on to Remus, mostly because all she could think about was how she was smearing mud all over his robes, and how in Merlin's name the night could have gone any more embarrassing.

" _Lumos_ "

She had barely noticed the landing, and by the time she dismounted Remus had already conjured a handkerchief for her, holding it out while scrutinizing her with a worried expression on his face. It might just have been the wandlight, but she thought his face looked a lot paler than usual.

"I am so sorry, I should never have taken you. I tried to-"

"Relax, Remus," Tonks rolled her eyes, taking the handkerchief and wiping mud off her face in as dignified a manner as she could manage. "I've fallen a lot higher, onto a lot harder ground. And you _did_ warn me, it's not your fault I'm clumsy as hell."

"I should have caught you," Remus said, still looking very upset with himself, before taking off his travelling cloak." Here, take this. Yours is all wet." Tonks hesitated. Remus was wearing nothing but a threadbare jumper beneath. "Are you sure you won't be..."

"Werewolf, remember?" he smiled, draping the cloak around her shoulders. "And we'll only have to make it to the castle – want me to apparate you?"

Tonks, still shivering madly, nodded, pulling his cloak faster around her. In her current condition she would certainly splinch herself.

Hogsmeade was even colder, snow crunching under their feet as they apparated in front of the Hogwarts gate. Tonks didn't let go of Remus' hand, instead huddling closer to him. Remus put his arm around her as he unlocked the gate, throwing her another worried look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Tonks, finding that his chest was a brilliant place to keep her head, merely nodded. "Just n-need s-somm-me t-tea," she mumbled, struggling to get the words out through her cluttering teeth. "I g-got your sc-scarf all m-mu-muddy."

Remus snorted in amusement, half dragging her up the snowy path towards the castle. "It's seen worse."

..-

"Bloody hell, what did you do to her!?" Sirius turned out not to be black out drunk as Remus had predicted, but sitting in front of the still lit fireplace instead with a Quidditch magazine in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.

"Fell into a swamp," Tonks answered, still a little numb but at least able to talk properly now that they had reached the castle. "Remus pulled me out." She slipped off Remus' cloak, followed by her own, and quickly stepped in front of the fireplace, wincing in pain as feeling returned to her frozen fingers.

"I thought you went out looking for Hinkypunks, not Aurors?" Sirius asked Remus, still looking puzzled.

"She wanted to come," Remus answered, sounding slightly dejected. "And I wasn't careful enough."

"Oi!" Tonks shouted from the fireplace. "I wanted to do it, you warned me, I still fell in. It's my fault, not yours."

Sirius laughed. "I thought you knew him well by now? You should remember, that anything bad that happens in Moony's presence is automatically his fault. It's a fundamental law of nature." He rolled his eyes at his friend. "Now go make her a hot chocolate or something, it's the least you can do after throwing her into a bog."

As soon as Remus had disappeared, a broad grin appeared on Sirius' face. "So was this some sort of date, then?" he asked, sounding far too much like a fourteen year old girl gossiping about their friends' first Hogsmeade outing.

Tonks made a face. "No, I just met him at the Leaky Cauldron and insisted to come. Then I made a mess, nearly let the Hinkypunk escape and spread mud all over his clothes. Even if it had been a date, he'd be running for the hills now." Now that the cold had worn off, she felt utterly miserable.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You think so? He got to save you from the marshes, play noble saviour and all that. Guys love that."

Tonks rolled her eyes at him. "Very helpful, thanks," she muttered, staring into the flames while playing with the mud-splattered scarf still around her neck. It still smelled like Remus, if slightly mouldy now.

"Do werewolves really have a higher body temperature than normal humans?" She asked after a while.

There was an amused chuckle behind her, and when she turned around she found Sirius looking at her with one raised eyebrow, eyes gleaming with delight. "Is that what he told you?"

Tonks felt herself blush, which appeared to be answer enough.

The animagus' grin broadened. "Running for the hills, eh? I wouldn't be so sure."

* * *

 **Double chapter. That's gotta be worth a review, right? ;)**


	29. The Yule Ball

**Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are great :)**

 **Finally made it to Christmas! Only one month late! I hope you'll enjoy it anyway ;)**

* * *

 **The Yule Ball**

„What's this, then?"

Sirius, who had been leafing through a muggle music magazine that Tonks had bought him for Christmas, looked up and grinned when he saw the robes in Remus' hands. "Your dress robes, obviously. Brought them over last full moon."

Remus frowned, holding the navy blue garment out in front of him. "I got these when I was nineteen."

Sirius shrugged. "And since then you've worn them...once? Look, if you bought new ones, feel free to wear those. But you're not going to the Ball in those shabby rags you call robes. _Brown_ robes, worst of all."

Remus, who had been planning on doing exactly that, frowned. "And why not? There's no dress code, I-"

"Because it's a _Ball_ , for Merlin's sake! And anyway, I thought you wanted to woo Tonks, not make her sent you to an old people's home. _Brown_ , seriously... I have no idea what she sees in you."

Remus closed his eyes for a moment, trying to ignore Sirius words. The closer the Yule Ball came, the more insufferable his friend had become, and comments like this happened all too often now, especially when they were alone.

 _Probably nothing,_ he mentally answered Sirius' question.

He still threw another glance at the dress robes in front of him. Sirius had a point; they were the only piece of clothing he owned that wasn't patched and worn. He had bought them for Lily and James'  
wedding, and hadn't worn them since. They were simple enough – nothing like the garish purple and yellow outfit that Sirius' had worn that day – but still visibly outdated.

"Just put them on," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "McGonagall told you all to represent Hogwarts at its best, didn't she? Do you want to embarrass Dumbledore by implying that his teachers don't even have enough money for proper clothes?"

Remus threw him an annoyed look. "That's low, even for you."

But he still took them and disappeared into his bedroom. Sirius had been in very high spirits today. Harry, Ron and Hermoine had visited after breakfast, as had Tonks, and together they had had their own Christmas celebration. After lunch the children had taken Snuffles outside for a snow ball fight, and when he finally came back Sirius had looked very content with himself. But now, with the Ball only half an hour away, his mood visibly darkened.

If it hadn't been expected of all teachers to be present – and if he hadn't practically promised Tonks he'd see her there – Remus would have considered staying here as well, keeping Sirius company. But as it was, he could do little but fetch him some dinner from the kitchen and hope that his Christmas presents would occupy him enough to forget about the fact that all of Hogwarts was having a great big party without him.

"Wow." Sirius stared at him in mock surprise when Remus reappeared, having changed into his dress robes. "Who knew that all it took was some proper clothes...you barely even look homeless anymore."

"Wanker." Remus threw an uncomfortable look into the mirror, wondering if he looked as ridiculous as he felt.

"Oh cheer up," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "You remember that weird tartar dress McGonagall wore at our graduation? You'll look a lot less strange than she does."

"Well that's comforting," Remus mumbled, picking at his sleeves that were far too wide to be in any way practical, before glancing at the clock. "I better get going. Don't demolish anything, alright? I'll try and be back as soon as I can."

Sirius grinned. "On your own? Or in company?" He wiggled his eyebrows at him, and Remus shot him an annoyed look.

"You really are a wanker, Padfoot."

Sirius laughed. "Merry Christmas to you too, Moony. Make sure you get a photo of Harry dancing, will you?" Remus didn't answer, leaving the room before his courage could fail him.

Why on earth was he so nervous? It was just a Ball, a Ball for the students at that, and the staff were only really there for supervision. He wasn't even planning on dancing (although McGonagall had told them she expected just that at the last staff meeting), there wouldn't be any alcohol and the whole thing would be over by midnight. Not even a real party, then, just some social event that they'd be forced to watch. In theory.

* * *

As it turned out, his fears had been unfounded. He found himself between Tonks and Professor Flitwick, sitting at one of the staff tables, and conversation was just as easy as during normal meal times, with the exception they now had a lot more interesting view.

"Did you see Draco?" Tonks whispered as soon as they had found their places, and Remus followed her glance across the hall. "Those dress robes must be older than the Malfoy name."

Remus made a face, feeling rapidly uncomfortable. "I'm afraid I can't really judge that, seeing as I myself am not exactly a signpost of modern fashion."

Tonks, herself wearing a bright yellow robes trimmed with black – evidently a callout to her former house – laughed. "Compared to him you are. And you look great."

Remus blushed, but felt pleased at the same time. "I highly doubt it, but thank you. You look very stunning yourself, if I may say so," he said, raising his goblet to her. Tonks giggled a little, clinking her goblet against his.

"How do we get food, then?" She said, looking between her menu and her empty plate.

"You have to tell your plate what you want to eat," Professor Vektor said from Tonks' other side, frowning slightly – whether at Tonks' ignorance or the seating arrangements, Remus couldn't say. "The same system is used during the graduation ceremonies."

Tonks blushed a little, but her lips were twitching, and she was obviously fighting a grin. "Oh, yeah. I missed mine; tried to impersonate Dumbledore and got caught. Turns out he does not usually fly round the corridors on a broom."

Professor Vektor looked horrified, but Remus struggled not to laugh as well. "Tragic," he muttered, managing to stay at least partly serious.

Tonks nodded. "It was sort of unfair. Dumbledore found the whole thing hilarious, but Sprout still banned me." She stared at her menu for a moment, deciding on "Roast beef – cool! I could use that at home!" She stared at her filled plate with such childish enthusiasm that Remus couldn't help but smile.

"You should have seen Sirius," he said, keeping his voice down as to not draw attention, "He spent about a week trying to figure out how to replicate the spell, until Lily pointed out that for it to work he also needed a house-elf to cook for him. He then tried to convince James to sell his first-born to him as a substitute elf, because he hated the family one."

Tonks laughed. "And he's surprised he ended up in jail..."

Towards the end of the dinner Remus found himself drawn into a discussion on charm creation with Flitwick, so that he barely noticed when the first part ended, absentmindedly standing up mid-sentence while Dumbledore vanished the tables and only coming to an abrupt stop when sudden applause erupted around him, interspersed with squeals of excitement.

The Weird Sisters came onto stage, and in the first moment Remus couldn't help but agree with Sirius – compared to the Stones or the Who, these looked like a rather sorry lot, more closely resembling the pathetic wannabe rock bands that used to play in muggle Pubs back in their school days.

Yet nearly all of the students – and Tonks, as he noticed with a mixture of wariness and amusement – were on their feet, clapping and cheering at the top of their lungs. Seeing his doubtful look, Tonks stopped and turned around. "Come on!" she yelled over the noise. "They're really good." Remus, who had listened to the Weird Sisters once, for about twenty seconds, couldn't help but grimace, making Tonks roll her eyes. "I saw your Sex Pistols album. You're in no position to criticize."

Remus started to protest, but at that moment the noise died down and the band started to play, so he decided to stay quiet (and not tell Sirius about the musical sacrilege that his cousin was sprouting).

"Could be worse," Tonks commented, watching Harry stumble awkwardly across the dance floor. "So far he didn't fall over." Remus nodded, turning away as other students started to fill up the dance floor and he lost sight of Harry.

He had planned to find a quiet place to sit down and observe, but before he could move more than a foot he saw Professor Vektor approaching him, a very determined look on her face. He had no time to formulate an escape plan – since he had realized the reason for her friendliness he had done his best to distance himself, which only appeared to have made the Arithmancy professor more determined – he felt Tonks grab his hand. "Let's go dance."

Remus put up no resistance as Tonks pulled him through the crowd, even though his heartbeat was quickly accelerating. Since that night on the bogs – for which he still felt terribly guilty and yet couldn't stop thinking about for entirely different reasons – they hadn't been in this close contact again, and his skin still tingled when he remembered it.

"Sorry," Tonks said as they awkwardly took up position, smiling apologetically. "Just looked like you needed rescuing." She made a semi-inconspicuous nod towards a very disappointed looking Professor Vektor, and Remus couldn't help but grin.

"Much obliged. Though I must warn you, the last time I danced was about fifteen years ago." Tonks returned the grin. "The last time I danced I broke the guy's toe," she countered, "Sure you're brave enough?"

Remus raised an eyebrow in mock affront. "Please. I'm a Gryffindor."

* * *

It was odd, really, how completely natural and at the same time utterly overwhelming dancing with Tonks was. None of them were particularly good at it – Tonks hindered by her natural clumsiness and he completely out of practice – but they had fun, chatting and laughing while clumsily making their way over the dance floor. Remus didn't know if it was the twinkling light, the soft music – because as it turned out, the Weird Sisters could play slow songs, despite their wild look – or the close proximity, but Tonks had never looked more beautiful than today. Her hair – a deep, wavy auburn today – was framing her heart-shaped face perfectly, and her dark eyes seemed to positively shine. In fact, if it hadn't been for the sudden change in the music, Remus might have lost himself in them completely.

As it was, the piercing sound of a bagpipe that hailed the next song pulled him out of his silent contemplation of Tonks' eyes, and she laughed at his horrified and shocked impression.

"Come on! This one's a classic."

Remus made a face. "Bagpipes? Really?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, but let go of his hand. "Alright, let's leave it at that, then. I think your suitor has given up, anyway."

They made their way back to the edge of the hall, finding a seat next to Professors Sprout and Burbage.

"Ron doesn't look happy at all," Tonks commented, surveying the hall. "Do you think he and Hermione – "

She didn't get much further as a broad shouldered boy in a deep purple dress robe appeared in front of them. Remus recognized him as Leopold Beckett, a Hufflepuff seventh year. "Care for a dance, Tonks?"

Tonks laughed, obviously familiar with him. "Don't tell me you actually learned how to dance, Leo!" she said, but still got up and took the offered hand, before turning back to Remus. "Be back in a minute."

Remus merely nodded, slightly confused by what just happened. And strangely stung – after all, Beckett was a lot closer to Tonks' age than he was. And a lot more good looking. And yet... over the last few days he had gotten the impression that his affection was not quite as one-sided as he had previously thought.

Professor Sprout seemed to have noticed his confusion, if not the reason for it. "His older sister was in Tonks' year; they were friends. That's probably how they know each other – although I don't think I'd have gone with him in her place – dancing with a student, that's a bit inappropriate, isn't it? Of course, it's not that long ago when she was a student herself..."

Remus merely nodded, watching as Beckett started whirling Tonks around in an alarmingly wild manner. She was laughing with him, and yet he couldn't help but feel like there was something different in her stance than when they had been dancing. It might just have been wishful thinking, but to Remus it looked very clear that Tonks saw nothing but a friend's little brother in Beckett.

A few moments later Professor Sprout jumped up, having spotted some misbehaviour, and Professor Burbage excused herself quickly after, clearly not comfortable being alone with a werewolf. Remus didn't take much notice of it – he knew he made some people uncomfortable, and he could understand it. At least the muggle studies teachers had always been very polite about it. Also, he was far too caught up in watching Tonks, whose bright yellow robes made her stand out like a star in the night sky, the shining centre of the whole hall...or at least, it looked like that to him.

So caught up was Remus in his musings that he barely noticed the person sitting down next to him, robes black as always and a distinctly scornful gleam in his eyes. Only when the oily voice sounded out, he realized he wasn't alone anymore.

"How touching." Snape's tone was dry and condescending, dripping with contempt. Remus turned around, throwing his colleague a wary look. Before he could asked what had brought about this rather unwelcome visit, Snape continued talking. "I realize Dumbledore defying the parents in giving you back your job might make you think your kind are... _accepted_ now," he drawled on, lips curling in a hateful smile, "But do you honestly think that you will get through with this?"

It took Remus a moment to regain his composure. Snape had always been hateful towards him, even more so this term, but this... "If the ministry sees fit to remove me from my post, they-"

"I'm not talking about that pathetic theatre you call teaching," Snape hissed, eyes narrowing even more. "I'm talking about whatever it is you think you are doing with Miss Tonks."

Remus froze.

How on earth did Snape...was it that obvious? Yes, Remus had spent a lot of time with Tonks – and if one were to follow her, they would notice she was in his quarters quite a lot – but Snape did not seem like someone who would go to such lengths.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he finally managed to get out through gritted teeth.

Snape let out a derisive snort. "Of course. And surely you must know that there is nothing to talk about, don't you? That woman might be the most useless Auror the ministry has ever had the misfortune to employ, but even she would not stoop so low as to affiliate with a creature like you. Let alone someone of your age..." He gave a humourless smirk. "Just imagine the headlines... never mind teaching, _that_ would be something to truly be disgusted by."

It took all of Remus' willpower not to jump up right now and hex Snape.

"Are you quite finished?" he said, balling his fists and stoically staring at the opposite wall.

Snape gave one last smirk. "Certainly. I will enjoy watching you make a fool out of yourself, Lupin." With that he rose, vanishing between the crowd.

It took Remus a few moments to recompose himself, breathing deeply staring at the floor in front of him, avoiding the dance floor where Tonks was still whirling around. Only when the music stopped did he move again, realizing that she would come back soon. He quickly stood and made his way through the students moving to and from the dance floor, heading for the exit. He did not think that he could bear seeing Tonks right now.

Only when he was outside did his breathing normalize somewhat, and the clenching around his chest subsided somewhat. He took up a brisk pace, not bothering with the rose garden that had been decorated very festively and instead heading for the grounds.

Now that the shock of Snape's words had worn off somewhat, he felt his mind clearing, finally being able to actually think about what the potion master had said.

And the more he did, the more obvious it became to him what he had to do.

* * *

"Come on, one more."

Tonks snorted, freeing her hand from Leo's grip. "Don't you have a date to dance with?"

Leo's expression became somewhat guilty. "Well, yeah...but I can see her all the time. You're usually up in your office doing Auror stuff."

Tonks had to fight hard to keep from laughing, remembering the paper plane contest she and Sirius had held with some internal regulation files just two days ago.

 _Auror stuff...Yes._

"Go find your girl, Leo," she said, friendly but firmly, wondering vaguely uncomfortable if it was possible the boy might have a crush on her. "I think I'll see what your teachers are up to."

 _Or rather, one particular teacher._

She left Leo standing with a slightly disappointed look on his face and turned towards the table where she had last seen Remus, smiling at the thought of his blazing blue eyes, and the way they had positively shone with warmth when they had danced.

Something had changed between them that day they had talked about werewolves and their right to a relationship, and the more she thought about it the more certain she got that she was, in fact, not alone in what she was feeling.

Yet when she reached the table Remus was nowhere to be seen, a group of Durmstrangs having taken up their seats. Tonks hesitated, craning her neck to search the hall, but she could see no trace of navy blue robes.

Spotting Hermione sitting next to one of the Durmstrangs – Viktor Krumm, as she realized now – she went over to her. "Enjoying yourself?" she grinned, ignoring the surprised looks of the Durmstrangs. "I was just wondering if you've seen Remus. He seems to have disappeared."

"I think he went outside," Hermoine answered, throwing Tonks an inquisitive look but not commenting any further. Tonks thanked her, threw a regretful look back to the stage where the Weird Sisters were still performing and made her way to the door, wondering why Remus had left. And if he even wanted her to follow him.

Pushing that thought aside, she surveyed her options. The rose garden was illuminated by fairies, and as far as she could tell full of couples trying to find a secluded place. Probably not his first choice. She made her way past the garden and onto the grounds. Compared to illuminated castle they were dark, and it took her a while to adjust her vision, but when she did, she could clearly make out a figure standing at the lakeside, visible as a dark spot against the snowy ground.

Slowly she began setting off towards it, wondering if it even was Remus, and if it was, what she would say.

It was chilly out here, and the cold breeze made her shiver in her rather flimsy dress robes, but at least she had had the sense to wear her usual combat boots. As she was trudging through the snow she could only grimace at the idea how she would have fared in the high heels her mother had sent her – unrequested – that morning.

Remus – she was pretty sure now that it was him, few people at Hogwarts were as tall, and none of them had his odd posture, a mix of slumped shoulders and raised head – was standing still, facing the Black lake. She was certain that he must have heard her steps crunching on the snow, but he didn't move, even when she was only a few feet away, and so Tonks slowed down, suddenly very unsure. Did he want to be left alone? It seemed unlikely he'd be out here, otherwise...

 _Well, too late for that; there's no turning back now. Well done, Tonks._

She nervously cleared her throat. "Fled from the Bagpipes of hell?" she asked lightly, because she couldn't think of anything else.

Finally Remus moved, turning his head towards her. There was an odd look on his face as he regarded her, partly illuminated by the half-moon above them, as if he was trying to read her mind.

After a few seconds he seemed to remember that she had asked a question, and a smile flickered across his face. "Something like that, yes," he said quietly, still looking at her thoughtfully. It did nothing to admonish Tonks' nervousness.

"I-I think they're done with them now, in case...in case you wanted to go back inside. At least I saw Gideon Crump talking to a Beauxbaton a few minutes ago, and it looked like they would be a while-" She realized she was rambling, and shut her mouth.

"How...delightful," Remus commented dryly, making no move to head back. His blue gaze was still firmly set on her face, and Tonks awkwardly stepped from one foot to the other.

"Is-Is everything alright?"

Remus finally moved, running a hand through his hair – a nervous gesture, as she had learned – and sighing quietly. "I don't know," he said finally, smiling at her apologetically before dropping his hands beside him. Tonks realized she had never seen him this ...on edge before. Remus rarely ever let anything ruffle him, and if he did it was usually remarks about his conditions, which he bore with a stoic mask, never revealing what he felt. This jumpy, apprehensive Remus was new, and almost unsettling.

Just as she was wondering if he was ever going to say anything, he sighed again, straightening as if preparing for some battle. "I...met Snape," he began, dropping his gaze, "and he said some...things. That made me think."

Tonks frowned. Somehow she had a feeling she was not going to like whatever he said next. "Don't tell me you're actually listening to anything that slime-ball says," she cut in, feeling her hair getting redder with anger, "He just wants everyone to be as miserable as he is!"

Remus let out a low chuckle at her outrage, and raised his eyes again. "I think he wants them to be _more_ miserable, so he can feel good in comparison," he said light-heartedly, before catching himself and getting serious again.

His eyes found hers again, and although it was dark and she could barely make out the colour – brilliant blue, as she obviously knew, having thought about it almost every night for far too long now – she saw something gleam in them that hadn't been there before. And was it just her or had he actually stepped closer? Had she?

The night seemed very quiet all of a sudden. "I'm not sure what I'm about to do is a good idea." She could feel is words on her face – they were definitely standing closer – but barely make them out over the sound of her own heartbeat, which surely must be rivalling the band up in the castle by now. "But I think I'll do it anyway."

And then, very slowly and suddenly at the same time, his lips found hers, brushing over them in a soft touch that made her breath catch and her insides squirm. It was over before she even properly realized what was going on, let alone have time to react, and Remus pulled back, watching her with a mixture of anticipation and doubt.

Doubt definitely winning over when she still failed to react, instead staring at him in dazed shock. The gleam vanished from his eyes and his face visibly fell, and he was awkwardly clearing his throat and obviously planning to escape before Tonks finally regained control over her body. She let out an odd little noise, something like a squeal of excitement, and threw her arms around his neck without thinking, pulling his lips back down on hers.

Remus flinched, his eyes widening almost comically in surprise, but he didn't hesitate long and wound his arms around her middle, pulling her close to him as their mouths started exploring each other. Tonks closed her eyes, unable to supress a hum of happiness as her fingers found their way into his hair – how could hair be this soft? – and she revelled in the feeling of his warm lips against hers, moving softly but urgently, sending sparks through her whole body with every movement.

Tonks didn't know how long they stood there, utterly oblivious to the cold. It could have been seconds, or minutes, or years. Finally they did break apart, breathless and flushed. Tonks lowered her hands out of his hair but kept them loosely on his shoulder, and he only slightly pulled away, arms still firmly around her waist. For a moment, neither of them spoke, staring at each other with a dazed expression, trying to get her breathing back under control.

"I think you should talk to Snape more often," Tonks finally gasped, still slightly out of breath, because she didn't know what else to say. A small laugh escaped Remus, and the awkward tension between them decreased somewhat.

Tonks mind was still racing.

 _You just snogged Remus Lupin. And it was amazing._

The enormity of this fact seemed rather too large to fit into her head right now.

"I-" Remus seemed to struggle as well, eyes shifting between her face, the ground and the sky in an obvious attempt to find something other than what had just happened to focus on. When he found nothing, he sighed reluctantly, his gaze returning to her.

"This is wrong," he finally said, but his voice didn't sound entirely convinced. "I'm...you...we..." Tonks eyes narrowed, the happy glow inside her mind fading somewhat.

 _Well, you thought it was amazing. He might have hated it._

But his arms were still around her, and he made no move to leave. Instead, he took deep breath, steeling himself before starting again. "I'm a werewolf, I'm old enough to be your father, and half of Wizarding Britain hates me – probably more than half, actually."

The building knot of anxiety in her chest deflated somewhat, only to be rapidly replaced by irritation. _Of course_.

She glowered at him. "Well, I don't hate you, and last I checked what anybody else thinks doesn't matter. You take the Wolfsbane Potion, I'm not planning to spent the Full Moon anywhere near you, and Sirius told me about your time at school – there is no way you so much as _thought_ about sex at thirteen, let alone father anyone."

Remus flinched, eyes widening slightly in surprise. Obviously he had not expected such a forceful response.

"You could lose your job if anybody found out," he objected, sounding a lot less certain than before. And still not moving so much as an inch away from her. Tonks couldn't help but grin, feeling that she had already won.

"No I won't. There's no law against it, not even so much as guidelines; I checked. And my private life is none of their business anyway."

"You checked?"

Tonks bit her tongue. _Way to come across as a stalker._ "I-err...Yes," she said, not meeting his eyes. Even to her own ears, used to her embarrassing comments, it sounded pathetic. When she dared to look up though, Remus looked nothing but surprised.

"Oh," he merely made, brown furrowing, and a sheepish look crossed his face – if anything, he looked rather pleased with himself.

She quickly cleared her throat; grateful for the darkness that was hopefully hiding her bright red face. "What I man is, I have thought about this," she said, trying to regain some composure. Remus regarded her for a moment, and the thoughtful look was back in his face. "And I still want...this."

Whatever "this" was. Tonks didn't dare to raise her hopes too high, despite the rather wonderful turn of events. But finally Remus' eyes softened, and a smile crept onto his face. "I think I do, too."

And then he bent down to kiss her again, more slowly than before, while one of his hands crept up to her neck, winding into her hair and pressing her even closer to herself. He deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth in a deliberately slow fashion that made her stomach lurch, making her rather grateful for the fact that he was holding her this closely. Right now she wasn't sure if her own legs, which appeared to have transformed into some form of jelly, would have been able to carry her.

Indeed she stumbled a little when they pulled apart, and it took her a moment to regain her balance – both physically and mentally – but when she did, she couldn't help but beam up at Remus, who was grinning back at her with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that made him look at least ten years younger. For a few seconds they merely looked at each other, and Tonks felt as if she was caught up in a bubble of happiness, a feeling that elevated her far away from Hogwarts, Auror duties and students.

Then a gust of wind swept over them from the lake, and the sudden cold broke the bubble rather abruptly as Tonks returned to where she was – ankle deep in snow in the middle of a December night, in dress robes that were definitely not made for outside purposes.

Remus, seeing her shiver didn't hesitate at all, unclasping the overcoat that was part of his – far more sensible – dress robes and throwing them over her shoulders without question. Tonks opened her mouth to protest, but knew it was pointless. So she merely murmured a "Thanks," and smiled up at him slightly embarrassed, cursing her cheeks for flushing again.

"I know you lied, by the way," she added after a few seconds, peering up at him through the darkness. "I asked Sirius; werewolves don't have higher body temperatures."

Remus at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "Ah," he made, running his hand through his hair and staring at the lake, before looking back at her and smiling apologetically. "I had hoped he would not mention that."

Tonks snorted. "It's Sirius. I don't think he even knows there _is_ such a thing as discretion."

Remus looked at her with pursed lips, clearly fighting a smile. "Yes," he said, "There's that. I daresay he'll be utterly insufferable once he learns about...this." He gestured between them in a rather awkward manner, and Tonks did not fail to notice that he obviously had no more idea than she had what to call it.

Tonks cleared her throat. "Well – do we tell him?"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I have no intention of doing that, but he has an unhealthy obsession with other people's private lives and far too much free time on his hands. He _will_ find out." Tonks grimaced, remembering how easily Sirius had figured out her crush on Remus. He was right, there was no way they could keep it a secret.

For a while neither of them spoke, while Tonks was trying to gather her courage. Finally, she managed. "What is this, then?" she asked almost fearfully, looking up at Remus, who had been staring at the castle with that thoughtful look back on his face. When she spoke, however, his attention quickly reverted to her, and his eyes softened. "I mean...are we dating?" This time she was sure he would see her blush, no matter how dark it was.

Remus frowned, and for a second Tonks' heart plummeted to somewhere near her knees. "I'm not sure," he said thoughtfully, absentmindedly playing with his overly wide sleeves. "I suppose for that to be true I'd have to actually ask you on a date." He looked up, and now she could see the mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "Would you like to go out with me?"

Tonks couldn't help but let out a burst of laughter at his boyish grin, and she took his face in her hands, pulling him down for a short but passionate kiss. When she released him he stumbled back a little, but surprise quickly gave way to a broad grin. "Is that a yes?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, batting his arm. "Of course it is, idiot." But she too couldn't keep from grinning madly.

She had had a lot of great Christmases – despite her mother's insistence on throwing the most awful of parties – but this one had been by far the best.


	30. Raptors and Secrets

**Raptors and Secrets**

Remus had been wary of returning to his chambers after the Ball, and as it turned out, his fears had been more than justified.

"Are you on your own?"

The questions started even before Remus had closed the door properly. He rolled his eyes while restoring the wards. "Of course I am. And you're supposed to be a dog while the doors are open."

Sirius ignored him, transforming into a dog, sniffing once, and returning to his human form. "You smell like Tonks."

 _Bloody dog._

"And you smell like Whiskey," Remus countered, walking over to the kettle to make himself a cup of tea before bed. It was past midnight, but he was relatively certain he'd only lie awake anyway if he tried to sleep now. When he closed his eyes, he could still see her in front of him, feel her warm body pressed close to his, her lips on his-

"Where's your cloak?"

Remus' eyes snapped open, and he quickly tapped the kettle with his wand, turning over to search for a mug in the hopes of hiding his face, which surely must have gone rather pink. "Forgot it in the Great Hall; I'll get it tomorrow."

Sirius, of course, was not deterred by his obvious reluctance to talk, but leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and watching Remus with unsettlingly alert eyes. _Shouldn't he be too drunk to speak by now?_

"So how were the Whining Sisters, then? Did you dance?"

Remus shrugged, pouring milk into his mug without looking up. "Bearable. A bit dull, to be honest. From the way they dressed I'd have expected at least a little bit more... anything. And whoever thought Rock needed bagpipes was sorely mistaken."

Sirius hmpfed in a rather righteously pleased way, but even his ever-lasting quest to prove how inferior current wizard music was to the muggle bands of his youth did not deter him in the way Remus had hoped. "So did you dance?"

 _Persistent dog._

"Yes, for a short while," he finally said, realizing that it was best to just give Sirius some small thing to gloat over in order to keep him from snooping any further. "And yes, with Tonks. Happy now?"

Sirius broad grin told him that he was. "And?" the animagus prompted pushing himself upright. "You two-"

"We danced once, then she went off with some friend of hers. The end," Remus said firmly. That was not strictly speaking true, but not so much of a lie that he would have to fear Sirius' wrath later. And it did shut him up, at least for a few seconds.

Remus used the time to pick up his tea and migrate to his armchair in the living room, picking up a random journal – _Dark Creatures in Dark Waters_ – and hiding behind it. But before he could get past the first few sentences of the report about some Deep Sea expedition, Sirius had reappeared.

"A friend? What sort of friend?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "I don't know. Some seventh year; I think his sister was in Tonks' year." He took a sip of his tea without looking up, even though the words he was reading didn't register in his head at all.

"A _student_?" Sirius repeated, incredulously. Remus shrugged, wondering if he should put some rejection in his voice for show – after all, he _had_ been rather upset by the idea of Tonks dancing with someone much closer to her age than him – but ultimately deciding against it. It was hard enough just keeping the happiness out of it.

"Why not? He's only a couple of years younger than her," he said. "And they used to be in the same house."

Sirius narrowed his eyes, and even though Remus was still stubbornly refusing to look up, he could practically feel the scrutinizing stare burning into his skin. "Well, at least it wasn't one of those third-class Rockers," he finally said, voice sounding a little too expectant to make his casualness convincing. Remus knew that he should appear at least a bit jealous, but it was hard to do when less than an hour ago Tonks had been kissing him.

"Yes," he said neutrally, taking another sip of his tea. "Suppose so."

 _...a new variety of the Gillyweed plant, especially bred for this expedition with the aim of prolonging its effects for up to four hours ..._

Tonks' lips on his, her fingers snaking into his hair, her eyelids fluttering shut with pleasure...

 _...only unreliable Muggle reports so far, but it might be a breed of water dragon..._

The way she had grinned at him, and her sparkling dark eyes, beaming up at him. How natural it had felt to have his arm around her waist when they finally made their way back to the castle.

 _...only other known specimen living on the Hogwarts grounds in a freshwater lake, which implies that they are adapted to both sea water and..._

"So will she come by tomorrow?"

Remus nearly dropped his mug when his thoughts were suddenly invaded by Sirius' voice, and it took him a moment to free his mind from Giant Squids and warm kisses under a clear sky.

"No," he said quickly, throwing a cautious glance at his friend – surely he had seen the guilty expression on his face? But thankfully Sirius wasn't looking at him anymore, playing instead with the muggle dog toy that Tonks had bought him for Christmas. "She's visiting her parents, as far as I know." She had promised to be back by tomorrow night, and meet him in front of the Hogwarts gates, but Sirius didn't need to know that.

"Right," Sirius said, looking back at him, and Remus noticed that the malicious gleam in his eyes had vanished. He now looked just as dejected and miserable as when Remus had left him earlier.

He felt the euphoria dim somewhat. "Harry did better than James on his first Ball," he said, desperately searching for a topic that might cheer his friend up. "Pretty sure it was his partner that was doing the leading, but he almost looked like he wouldn't rather be fighting a dragon."

Sirius snorted. "Prongs _punched_ a guy. Of course Harry would do better. Not that I wouldn't have applauded him if he had knocked out that Diggory twat."

Remus rolled his eyes but his uneasiness lifted somewhat. An angry Sirius was at least more pleasant than a depressed one.

* * *

"So what are we going to do?" Tonks asked when they were strolling through Hogsmeade the next evening. This time she had had the sensibility to wear a proper cloak, and a Hufflepuff scarf that was hiding half her face. The bit that wasn't covered was red from the cold, but Remus still thought she was the loveliest sight he had ever laid his eyes on.

He had wondered – a great deal more than was probably healthy – about how he should greet her, what to say, if it would be awkward, but in the end, he needn't have bothered. Tonks had already been waiting for him when he strolled through the gates, beaming up at him, and pulling her into his arms for a kiss had seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

That is, if one disregarded the butterfly colony that seemed to have set up camp in his stomach as soon as he was close to her.

Now they were walking side by side, her hand in his, and he was shifting between euphoria and disbelief. "I'm not sure," he admitted, thinking that it really didn't matter as long as they were walking next to each other. "I haven't really done this sort of thing in a while," he admitted, feeling slightly pathetic as he did so. But Tonks didn't seem to mind.

"What did you do last time, then?" she said, sounding rather curious.

Remus winced. Talking about past relationships did not seem like an ideal topic for a first date. But it was Tonks, and she was smiling at him as if he was the most exciting person ever to have crossed her path.

"Not sure," he said, frowning. "I think the last thing that would actually classify as a date was during the War... it was shortly before Harry was born, and Sirius insisted I needed to get out more, so he found two girls and dragged us to this muggle cinema to see a horror film. Apparently the plan was to make them frightened so they would cling to us for comfort..." He made a face. "It did work, in a way. They both went home with him."

Tonks burst into laughter, and although Remus felt like he should be mortified at that story, he couldn't help but join.

"What did you watch?" Tonks asked, curious.

Remus shrugged. "I don't remember the name. Something about a hotel in the middle of a blizzard, I think, and a father who was living there with his wife and kid and slowly going crazy. There was a lift full of blood at some point... it _was_ rather distressing to be honest."

Tonks grinned. "Sounds good. Want to go to the movies, then? Maybe I can make _you_ cling to _me_ for comfort."

In the end the film they settled for was not very frightening at all, although it did involve a lot of people being eaten by dinosaurs. In fact, Remus felt mostly amazed at how real they looked. Thanks to his muggle mother and his frequent ventures into muggle jobs he was a lot more knowledgeable about their world than most wizards, but their technology – or rather the speed at which it was evolving – never failed to impress him. Magic or not, many parts of the Wizarding World felt positively medieval compared to this.

"Do you think it could really work like that?" Tonks asked when they were sitting in a bar later, sipping her beer. "Bringing back species with just blood, I mean. Can muggles do that?"

Remus frowned. "I'm not sure. But if they could, they probably would have done so already, don't you think? There must be muggle Hagrids."

Tonks laughed. "Merlin, I hope he never sees that film. He'd get terrible ides off it...Would it be possible with magic, though? There are spells to accelerate a biological cycle, aren't there?"

Remus threw her a suspicious look. "You know, if we end up with raptors taking over the ministry I'm blaming you."

Tonks grinned. "I'd pay a lot of money to see Umbridge getting eaten by raptors..." she mused, looking alarmingly sincere in her wishful stare. "Speaking of pains in the arse, did Sirius say anything last night?"

Normally, Remus would have protested at having his best friend compared to someone like Dolores Umbridge, but after having spent the morning under a questioning so relentless it would have made Alastor Moody proud, his loyalty had diminished somewhat. "A lot, actually. But I don't think he's caught on. I told him I'm visiting my mother."

"So we're keeping this a secret?"

Tonks tone was light, but he did not miss subtle change in her voice. He hesitated, feeling uncomfortable for the first time this night.

"I...I don't know," he said, not meeting her eyes. "He will figure it out eventually." That wasn't what Tonks had meant and he knew it. He sighed deeply, finally looking up. "I know it's not against any laws, but... there will be a lot of backlash if it becomes known that we're...that you're dating a werewolf."

Tonks eyes narrowed. "I thought we cleared this up last night? I don't care."

Remus flinched, but held her gaze. "But I do," he said quietly, trying to soften her anger. "Have you...You didn't tell your parents, did you?"

The thought of what Andromeda would say to him kissing her daughter... Remus would much rather stand against the T-Rex than her. But Tonks merely snorted. "No, but they wouldn't say anything. They both like you, and at this point Mum just wants me to date _any_ body. She'd probably be alright with me bringing home Filch."

Remus' fear turned into revulsion at that image, and he quickly returned to the original topic. "I'm sorry," he said, reaching across the table to take her hand. "It's just...I've had a lot of people turn around in disgust when they see me, and I don't want that to happen to you. And it _will_ happen," he added quickly, when she opened her mouth to protest.

But Tonks merely rolled her eyes. "You think I don't know that? And it's not exactly new to me. Obviously werewolves get a lot more crap than Metamorphagi, but once people find out what I can do they tend to get a bit wary. Or disgustingly leery, in some cases." She grinned at him, obviously unperturbed. "Look, I'm not telling you to make an announcement in the Great Hall or anything – that'd be fun to watch, mind you – but I don't want to hide like we're doing anything wrong. Can't we just act normal and if anybody's got a problem with that I'll hex them?"

Despite his own doubts, Remus couldn't help but laugh at that. "Sounds like a safe road into unemployment," he commented, before getting serious again. "Alright," he said, meeting her eyes and smiling. "No hiding. Except for-"

"-Sirius," Tonks finished, grinning. "Five sickles we can keep it from him until term starts."

Remus, having often been on the receiving end of his friends' "investigations" raised an eyebrow. "Ten says he'll find out before the end of the week."


	31. The Name Game

**Short one today as I don't have much time. Basically a filler but at least one important matter gets cleared up ;)**

* * *

 **The Name Game**

"I saw you talking to Vektor on the map. Are you trying to make Tonks jealous by using her?"

Remus rolled his eyes, slipping out of his cloak. "Yes," he said dryly on his way over to the table, "Obviously."

Sirius made a face. "No need to get snarky. I was about to congratulate you on it, actually. It's time you got off your arse and did something about this Tonks-business; it's getting pathetic."

Remus didn't answer, leafing instead through the pile of letters that had arrived during the morning. He couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment when he failed to spot anything in Tonks' sprawling hand, but on second thought it was probably better this way. Sirius would only have read it anyway.

Against Remus' expectations, his friend still hadn't caught on, despite the Ball being almost a week ago. Of course this was mostly due to the fact that Remus hadn't actually seen Tonks since that night at the movies, as she had been recalled to the ministry to help with the annual post-Christmas arrest backlog.

While it was sort of a relief to avoid Sirius' mockery – and the far more frightening question on what his colleagues would say – for now, Remus couldn't help but wish for her to come back sooner. It was ridiculous really, after only four days of absence, but he was already missing her so much it was an almost physical ache.

Sirius had obviously already sorted through his mail, as the obligatory angry parent letters were missing, but he had left an ad about hair dying charms, clearly his idea of a joke. Remus rolled his eyes and tossed it into the fire, picking up the others and walking over to his armchair, when he felt Sirius looking at him. He paused, suspicion rising in him. "What?"

But Sirius wasn't looking at him, but at the letter in his hands. Remus looked down. It was from his mother.

 _Oh._

He had a feeling that Tonks would probably lose their bet.

Ignoring the heat that he could feel rising to his face, he continued to his seat, hoping against reason that the animagus had, for once, respected his privacy. Which, Sirius being Sirius, he of course hadn't.

"She says thanks for the gloves," Sirius said, strolling over with his hands in his pockets and coming to a stand right before Remus, grinning down at him in a slightly manic way. "And asks when you'll visit again. Because it's been such a long time since she last saw you..."

Remus said nothing, deciding to give Sirius his moment. Maybe that would lessen his ruthless teasing in the long run.

"So, Moony," Sirius continued, rocking back and forth on his feet with the facial expression of a four-year-old on Christmas morning. A very sadistic four-year-old. "Where exactly _did_ you go that night?"

* * *

When Tonks knocked on Remus' office door the next day, he met her on the corridor, partly closing the door before turning to her and pressing a soft kiss onto her lips.

"Hello, Nymphadora," he said, pulling her into a surprisingly firm hug. "I missed you."

Tonks grinned, pressing her face into his robes and inhaling his intoxicating smell. "I missed you too."

 _So much that I ruined a whole case file by doodling your name all over it._ Not that he needed to know that...

"You owe me five sickles." Remus' voice pulled her out of her attempt to melt into his robes. Seeing her confused look, he nodded towards the partly closed door behind him, looking grim except for his eyes that still sparkled with joy. "He reads all my mail and found out I didn't visit my mother."

Tonks groaned inwardly, although she was still grinning. "So now comes the time of I told you so dances? He threatened me with those a lot." As if called a big black head poked out of the doorway, staring up at them with a distinctly un-dog-like grin. Tonks had never seen a smirking dog, but somehow Snuffles managed it.

"We could go to your rooms," Remus said, looking unconvinced.

Tonks sighed. "Will that keep him from being an arse?"

The dog barked, and Remus shook his head. "No. And he'd probably follow us. I'm afraid we'll just have to face it and hope he gets bored at some point." Snuffles barked again, wagging his tail, and bounced back into the room.

Warily, Remus and Tonks followed him. Remus' offer of "Tea" was lost in Sirius' cackling, as he had transformed before the wards were even up, collapsing onto the sofa. " _I missed you,_ " he imitated one of their voices – it was done so badly that Tonks' wasn't sure which it was supposed to be – "Merlin's pants, it's been less than a week and you already make me sick. Butterbeer for me, Moony."

Remus held up two fingers in a very un-Remus gesture, and disappeared into the kitchen. Leaving Tonks alone with Sirius and his very unnerving smirk.

"Sooo-" the animagus started, fixating her with a predatory stare. "Finally got his act together, did he?"

Tonks closed her eyes for a moment, trying to gather together some patience. She had spent the last four days dealing with petty crimes, sloppy hexes and half-arsed burglaries; stuff usually left to MLE, and was in dire need of both sleep and relaxation. She had come here with the intention of spending a nice evening with Remus in front of the fire, foolishly forgetting the obnoxious convict that was his room-mate.

"Yes," she answered slowly, sitting down on the sofa.

Sirius' grin broadened. "So how did it happen? Did he do his 'I'm worthless'-monologue? Go all red-eared? Did he jump on you in a fit of jealousy?"

"Jump- _what_?" Tonks repeated, taken aback.

Sirius smirked. "He has been known to do that. Did I ever tell you-"

He was interrupted when a cup of tea floated past him, making him shoot back with a hiss when the scolding hot pottery narrowly missed his nose.

"Please disregard anything he tells you about my love life. He's a pathological liar," Remus said, coming in from the kitchen and sending the tea on the low table with his wand. His voice was level, but there was a distinct pink tinge to his ears. Tonks had to supress a grin as he sat down next to her, avoiding her eyes and looking very abashed with his fringe falling into his face. It would have been funny if it hadn't also been terribly adorable.

"Still sounds like an interesting story," she said teasingly.

Remus turned his head to her with a pained look. "It really isn't. How was the post-Christmas clean-up?" It was a very obvious ploy to change the topic, but Tonks relented. She could only imagine the horror he had lived through since Sirius had found out about them.

"Hell," she said falling back against the sofa and cradling her mug. "Most of it was MLE stuff, really, but they were totally understaffed so they got us in to deal with it. Thing is, we're qualified to handle Dark Wizards, not angry stepmothers. You get called over a stinging hex and end up mediating a family feud – makes you glad to be an only child who half the family doesn't speak to... I mean seriously, who hides a biting shrinking head in a packet of mince pies?"

Sirius laughed loudly. "Sounds like it could have come from my Dad. Shame he's dead, his presents were always fun."

Remus made a disapproving noise into his tea. "Peter almost lost a foot to that shrinking boot. Fun indeed." Sirius merely rolled his eyes and muttered something like "deserved it" and "traitorous git".

Remus used the time to throw Tonks an apologetic glance. "Sorry," he said quietly, taking her hand and stroking the back of it with his thumb. "If I had known you'd be back early I'd have sent him out with Harry." Tonks' heart leapt at the touch before plummeting down somewhere close to her stomach, and it was with some difficulty that she managed a smile in return, almost losing herself in his warm gaze.

"It's alright. Guess he can use the distraction."

As if on command, Sirius made a loud retching noise. "Urrgh, stop making dove eyes. No-one wants to see that."

Remus looked at her a heartbeat longer, and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards, before he turned to Sirius and raised an eyebrow. "Then look away. This is my place, if I might remind you."

"I'm your guest! Show some hospitality!" Sirius complained. "Where's _my_ girl?"

Remus face contorted in a grimace of disgust. "You don't get one. You treat them appallingly."

"Says the man who throws his girlfriend into a swamp," countered Sirius, grinning again before jumping to his feet. "I'm gonna go and see Harry. Don't take advantage of my cousin, Moony!" With that he was back in dog form, opening the door with his front paws and bounding into the corridor.

Remus, ears again very pink, drew his wand and closed the door, not looking at her. Tonks suddenly felt nervous as well. She had dreamt about being alone with Remus again for the past days – so much that Mad-Eye, who had tried to sneak back into his old job under the cover of Christmas-induced chaos, had actually suspected her glassy eyes to be the effect of an Imperius curse and insisted on having her tested. It resulted in a wasted trip to the De-cursers for her and Mad-Eye being thrown out of the ministry once more.

Now that she was actually in Remus' presence, Tonks suddenly felt very awkward. His hand was still cradling hers, warm and soothing, and when she finally did manage to look at him, she found his eyes fixed on her with a glow in them that made her stomach summersault. "I missed you," she blurted, blushing when she realized they had already said that.

But Remus merely smiled, his free hand reaching forward to touch her arm. "I missed you too," he said softly, closing the distance between them and brought his lips to hers. Almost immediately Tonks felt herself melt into as puddle at the soft touches, relishing in the way that he was moving against her mouth, opening it a little so deepen the kiss in a sensation that was quickly becoming wonderfully familiar.

Without thinking she sneaked her arms around his upper body, pulling him closer while her fingers wound their way into his hair. She fought and lost to suppress a low sigh of content and nearly smirked against his lips when she heard him growl quietly as she was slowly sinking backwards on the couch, pulling him with her until he was practically lying on top of her, bodies pressed together deliciously close.

By the time they separated to get some air, both of them were panting heavily, and Remus' eyes had darkened visibly as he was peering down at her. "Nymphadora-" he breathed in a husky voice, bringing up a hand to cradle her face.

Tonks' head felt very fuzzy, almost fuzzy enough to let slip the use of her hated first name. Almost.

"Just 'cos we're dating doesn't mean you get to call me that," she said, sitting up a little to bring some distance between them so she could stare at him reproachfully.

Remus withdrew slightly, frowning. "I'm not calling you Tonks," he protested, looking so scandalized at the idea that it would have made her laugh if it wasn't such a serious topic.

"Well, you're not calling me Nymphadora either," she stated firmly. For a moment they simply stared at each other, neither prepared to give way.

It was Remus who broke the silence, frowning thoughtfully. "Well...do you have any nicknames? I'm guessing we can rule out Nymphie as well-" he grinned when he saw her distort her face in disgust, and added quickly: "Yes, I don't think I could do that one either. What did your friends at school call you, then? Or your..." he hesitated slightly, and Tonks heart made a leap at the jealousy that was flickering over his face at his next words. "Your previous boyfriends?"

She snorted. "Tonks," she said with a shrug. "Nobody except you ever had a problem with it. Even my family calls me Tonks – " Her face darkened. "well, except my Mum, of course. And Dad-" she hesitated, as an idea came into her head. She looked at Remus and bit her lip, feeling a little uncertain. "You could call me Dora, I guess," she said slowly, gaging his reaction. "If you want to." Remus lips twitched into a smile, but almost immediately his expression grew concerned. "Are you sure?" he asked. "If you hate that as well-"

Tonks took a moment to answer. So far only her Dad and grandparents had called her that, and two of these people were now dead. Tonks had never offered the name to anybody else, firstly because she was happy with Tonks – and few people made such a fuss as Remus did – and secondly because she had never liked it much either, it being a close reminder of that other, more dreadful name. Dora sounded just... not like her.

But this was Remus. And if the alternative was another name-war like the one with her mother, with him calling her Nymphadora and her shouting at him every time, she would rather take the lesser of two evils. It _was_ sort of sweet, she mused thoughtfully, him refusing to call her such an impersonal thing as her surname.

She nodded slowly. "No, it's alright. If...only if you like it, of course," she said, suddenly unsure.

But Remus' smile broadened. "Dora," he said, testing it out on his tongue. "I think it is a wonderful name." He bent down to kiss her once more. "My Dora." Tonks couldn't help but giggle happily at the boyish twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Don't wear it out, or I might change my mind," she said mock-threateningly, and grinned stupidly.

She knew they looked silly, half-lying on the couch on top of each other, grinning like imbeciles, but it seemed blissfully unimportant when she was feeling so _happy_.


End file.
